Nadine Dorries

[muttondressedaslamb]

http://www.womensviewsonnews.org/wvon/2011/05/nadine-dorries-mp-wants-to-stop-women-having-sex/

 

 

 

British Conservative MP Nadine Dorries today put forward a motion in Parliament proposing the introduction of abstinence-only sex education for teenage girls.

It was passed with 67 for and 61 against, meaning that it will receive a second reading in January.

The motion is short, and reads as follows in its entirety:

‘Sex Education (Required Content): That leave be given to bring in a Bill to require schools to provide certain additional sex education to girls aged between 13 and 16; to provide that such education must include information and advice on the benefits of abstinence from sexual activity; and for connected purposes.’

 

Ms Dorries is known for her previous and ongoing attempts to restrict access to abortion in Britain.

 

Along with Labour MP Frank Field, Ms Dorries is currently attempting to muster support for an amendment to the Government’s Health and Social Care Bill which would promote counselling from an ‘independent’ provider to women seeking an abortion (see earlier WVoN story).

The emphasis on the provider’s ‘independence’ has troubled feminists.

Ms Dorries states that ‘independence’ should mean the counselling body does not also provide abortions, suggesting that they have a financial motivation for persuading women to end their pregnancy.

This definition of ‘independence’ would prevent many respected organisations such as the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) from couselling women.

It appears that the similarity between Ms Dorries’ amendments and trends in a number of US states towards abstinence-only education and anti-abortion legislation is not accidental: she has stated her admiration for right-wing American politicians like Christine O’Donnell and Sarah Palin in the New Statesman and on her own blog.

 

WVoN comment: The key feature to note in Ms Dorries’ amendment is that it is intended for girls only.

This puts an unfair and unrealistic onus on girls by putting them forward as the sole partner with responsibility for preventing pregnancy and transmission of STDs.

It also revives patronising assumptions about male and female ‘nature’ that should have been left behind long ago: girls are believed to be receptive to abstinence-only education because women ‘naturally’ lack interest in sexual expression, while men could not hope to understand the idea of abstinence, being, as they of course are, sex-crazed monsters, entirely at the mercy of their pathological desire.

 

Although the amendment does not propose to replace today’s sex education with an abstinence-only programme, Ms Dorries’ amendment singles out abstinence for special promotion, a problematic approach when, as Sunny Hundal notes, abstinence-only education can lead to harmful ignorance and misinformation.

Before we start the picket outside Parliament, it is worth remembering the complexity and long-windedness of the British Parliamentary system and on this occasion, being thankful for it.

Ms Dorries proposed her motion using a procedure called a Ten Minute Rule Bill. Such Bills rarely pass into law because of limited Commons time, but they do provide an important measure of parliamentary opinion on a given subject.

 

The most concerning aspect of this vote is therefore perhaps not the Bill itself, but what the support it found indicates about prevailing attitudes to women’s ability to make their own life decisions within the current Government.

That many members of this Government would be in favour of an amendment for abstinence-only education proposed by Nadine Dorries is perhaps unsurprising, given the voting habits of prominent Conservatives when it comes to Ms Dorries’ other favourite topic, abortion.

The pro-choice majority in Britain must organise and remain watchful, to make sure that sex education and abortion access are two things we don’t let the Government tamper while we are looking the other way at broader spending cuts.

 

 

PALIN LOVING TORY f**kING BITCH

[Betty Swallicks]

For a week o the month most woman are irrational, I don't think women should be in politics (or most positions of power) for this reason.

 

If we are to allow women into these fields I think blokes should be allowed to act f**king mental every full moon to level things up.

[stirlingsheep]

Makes sod all difference to us in Scotland in terms of teaching abstinence, we're not affected by it, all our stuff comes from Holyrood, hence when we implemented a new curriculum in 2010, there was a massive shift towards Scotland, because the SNP were in control of the planning.

 

Teaching sex education can be a good laugh though, first thing we do with them is to write all sexual phrases the kids know, some interesting ones, and I've yet to discover what an "artistic blowjob" is. Also very funny seeing the wee quiet kid in the class turn in to a total deviant and know a lot more than the rest.

 

As for the abortion stuff, its a womans choice, no-one else's, politicians, priests or otherwise.

[Betty Swallicks]

Makes sod all difference to us in Scotland in terms of teaching abstinence, we're not affected by it, all our stuff comes from Holyrood, hence when we implemented a new curriculum in 2010, there was a massive shift towards Scotland, because the SNP were in control of the planning.

 

Teaching sex education can be a good laugh though, first thing we do with them is to write all sexual phrases the kids know, some interesting ones, and I've yet to discover what an "artistic blowjob" is. Also very funny seeing the wee quiet kid in the class turn in to a total deviant and know a lot more than the rest.

 

As for the abortion stuff, its a womans choice, no-one else's, politicians, priests or otherwise.

 

 

Just hers and hers alone?

[stirlingsheep]

Just hers and hers alone?

Depends on a situation, kind of been there twice, once with a long term girlfriend when we had a scare and had to wait a week before we could get a pregnancy test (they aren't readily available here on Tiree). We sat down and discussed options, and decided that if she was we'd keep it. But she was only willing to do that if I was 100% sure, and not wanting her to go for abortion. Turns out she wasn't so it wasn't a factor, though she said afterwards she secretly hoped she was.

Other time was with a friend after a one night stand, didn't see or hear from her for a while until she phoned me p**ssed one night to tell me she was pregnant to me and was going for an abortion on the Monday.

 

In both cases I think it was completely their choice, and if they chose to keep it, then I'd do my best, but it was 100% their decisions.