ABC doesn't believe in Right to free speech

THE left, be they from the ALP or the ABC, oppose free speech when it is their ideology which is under scrutiny.

THE left, be they from the ALP or the ABC, oppose free speech when it is their ideology which is under scrutiny. That's why there was a sustained outbreak of clamorous opposition to Senator Cory Bernardi's middle-of-the-road discussion of cultural values last week. The South Australian Senator broke two of the rules laid down by the left - he asked why no discussion of abortion is permitted in Australia though there are anything from 70,000 to 100,000 abortions carried out in this country each year, according to evidence given in Senate estimates - and he questioned whether single-parent families are the golden standard for child rearing. Under leftist dogma, abortion, or the more politically correct euphemism, termination, should only be discussed by women. Then, using the usual distortions of the language which have seen homosexuals insist that they be called gays and that the descriptive noun marriage be corrupted to include same sex unions, the so-called progressives say they are in favour of a pro-choice policy on abortion which means in fact that women are rarely presented with any options, in effect - no-choice.By breaking these taboos, Senator Bernardi aroused the slumberous feminist lobby, few of whom it would seem have actually read his book, The Conservative Revolution, which was published almost a month ago and has been reviewed in numerous forums. Senator Bernardi does not hide behind weasel words. He is so plain spoken that most of the commentators who have attacked him have revealed their ignorance of his writings or have taken his words totally out of context. He believes in the battle of ideas and thinks it is important for politicians to stand up for what they believe in. Indeed, he believes it's the right and responsibility of every member of the parliament to engage in the battle of ideas. "It's absolutely critical that politicians are prepared to discuss ideas that are controversial," he told me. "Otherwise we are stuck with a tyranny of political correctness. That's a stifling doctrine we need to rebel against in this country - that's the revolution I am calling for." The Senator understands that abortion is an emotive topic, he understands - as most people do - that it can cause enormous stress and anguish, but he is also concerned that one in five pregnancies in this country are being terminated and believes that should be a cause for concern and debate. He has not said we should outlaw or prohibit abortion but that was certainly the insinuation made by his critics. His position on abortion is exactly the same as that as that held by former US president Bill Clinton - that it "should not only be safe and legal, it should be rare". Last January, in his State of the Union address, President Barack Obama echoed president Clinton's remarks saying: "Today and every day, my administration continues our efforts to reduce unintended pregnancies, support maternal and child health, and minimise the need for abortion." That view is also held by Prime Minister Tony Abbott, whom the members of the ALP and some commentators from the ABC have attempted to link to extreme anti-abortion views on numerous occasions when they attempt to drag his personal and private religious views into the political debate. Senator Bernardi was also attacked by ABC breakfast presenter Beverley O'Connor for mentioning single-parent families in his book. She framed her question: "The book really rails against non-traditional families; children within a gay relationship, children of marriage breakdowns. In 2014 now, this is a fact of life, this is not necessarily a fact that families want but it's a fact of life isn't it?" In defence of traditional families, Senator Bernardi had written: "Why then the levels of criminality among boys and promiscuity among girls who are brought up in single-parent families, more often than not headed by a single mother?" Had O'Connor wished to put the argument in an intelligent context, she might have noted that there was a footnote in the book which referenced a New York Time article on a Father's Day address delivered by President Obama which said: "We know the statistics - that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime, nine times more likely to drop out of schools and 20 times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioural problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundation of our community is weaker because of it". O'Connor's approach to the Bernardi book exemplifies the arrant hypocrisy taken by so many at the ABC when they are wittingly or subconsciously taking up the cudgels for the left and Labor against conservative figures. They so obviously inject and infect their interviews and assaults with their own personal political prejudices. While O'Connor may not like the mainstream moral compass which has served society well for millennia, she and other critics should note that on these issues, Senator Bernardi is actually in excellent company.