Paul Austin from The Age reckons that this state "still has unfinished business on abortion" - after all, everyone apparently wants to see the number of abortions reduced.

Well that's a relief. Now I wonder what Mr Austin would advise?

We know what "causes" abortion. Overwhelmingly, it is unwanted pregnancy. We also know what causes unwanted pregnancies. Overwhelmingly, it is poor or non-existent contraception.

[I bet you didn't see that great bit of logic coming.]

If my understanding of causality and biology is applicable to this space-time continuum, pregnancies are "caused" by 'you know what'. As for the brilliant idea of better contraception, Mr Austin quotes at some length Upper house Labor MP Evan Thornley addressing other MPs.

If you walk into this chamber wanting to take some responsibility and wanting to show even the tiniest amount of courage compared to that which women must face when they have an unwanted pregnancy, then when you walk out of here you should take the lead in convincing men to take their share of responsibility for contraception.

[Are you roused, I mean aroused by the words "courage" and "responsibility"?]

Now let's unpack that a little. While Thornley was addressing other MPs specifically, it is not unreasonable, given the nature and content of his speech, to say that he was implicitly addressing the pro-life camp and to men in general. So apparently, men will be showing "courage" and taking "their share of responsibility" by using contraception and encouraging other men to do the same. Well that's strange, what responsibility was he referring to? I thought the whole point of contraception was so one can divorce oneself from the responsibilities of sex, unless he was merely referring to the "responsibility" of choosing between the ultra-thins or the ribbed.

It gets better:

If you are serious about the unborn and if you are serious about reducing the numbers of abortions, then get out there with your videos and your horror stories, get out there with your moral righteousness and self-importance, and walk into the pubs and clubs, the footy clubs and the construction sites, the high school halls and the army barracks, and tell the blokes to take responsibility for contraception.

[Right, because some of those places are full of responsible people. That's odd, I thought those places encourages bad behavior to begin with.]

If you do that, you will save thousands of unborn children from abortion. If you do not do that, you are not serious...

I am up for it - and I hope you are too, boys! It is time for men to show some leadership, to show just a tiny fraction of the courage that women have to have every day when they contemplate how to deal with an unwanted pregnancy. It is time for men to take responsibility for contraception and contribute to a massive reduction in the number of abortions and the suffering involved to the unborn, their mothers and their families.

[Are you touched by his heartfelt sympathy towards the "suffering involved to the unborn, their mothers and their families"? His concern for the unborn is moving. I know, I am on verge of tears.]

I thought being "serious about the unborn" would mean to take care of the unborn, allow them to live and be born and then to bring them up as one's own. Wouldn't it be more "responsible" if men didn't take advantage of women? And in any case, wouldn't it be more courageous and responsible for a man to take care of the mother and his unborn child? By the way, contraception inhibits the possibility for life, and assuming it does what it is designed to do, one is only preventing pregnancy. It does not save the unborn from abortions. Not aborting saves the unborn from abortion. Uh duuuuuuhhhhhh.

Your fellow wayfarer Fervi here, until now, have missed something. You see, the premise in Thornley's (and Austin's) argument is that people must have sex. It's simple really, unbridled sex is assumed to be norm. There is no talk of true courage or responsibility or self-control or discipline. There is no regard for human dignity and morality. So there you go, the typical message: people are free to hump each other all they want and treat each other as sex toys with a heartbeat as long as they are "responsible" by using contraception. If contraception fails, then resort to abortion as a backup. But abortions are bad, so must have more and better contraception. Right - somehow by maintaining (if not increasing) the level of sex, the number of resultant pregnancies and abortions can be minimized.

Clearly, people who are too stupid to talk and write can still be a leader in the community or a writer for a newspaper.

And one more thing: can you smell the burning sulphur?