Denis Strangman
Retired Private Secretary and pro-life veteran
Member of the Order of Australia (General Division). Denis is a widower, whose wife died from a malignant primary brain tumour. He helped establish the patient and carer national support group, Brain Tumour Alliance Australia, and the International Brain Tumour Alliance (foundation chair 2005-2014). Denis is active in cancer, palliative care, and mental health advocacy, and is the Secretary of Friends of Palliative Care. Denis is the former secretary to three different Senators, including Senator Brian Harradine (1976-1992). He is also a Life Member of the ACT Right to Life Association.
Denis has five adult children, and three grand-children, and is currently sorting through and shredding 50 years of activism. Anyone local want a black plastic garbage bag(s) of shredded paper, some shredded staples also, for their garden or chook pen? You can contact Denis at: string@hotkey.net.au
Assembly Allows RU-486
[ON 19 September the ACT Legislative Assembly voted 15-4 to allow the abortifacient drug RU-486 to be prescribed and dispensed in the ACT. The four MLAs opposing the move were Mrs Vicki Dunne, Mrs Elisabeth Kikkert, Mr Alistair Coe and Mr Andrew Wall. The new legislation allows “medical abortions”, as distinct from “surgical abortions”, to be conducted away from a medical facility in the privacy of one’s own home.
Harm Minimisation
I have a friend who has worked assiduously for many years to expose the dangers of pursuing a harm minimisation approach in regard to illicit drugs. I am sure he has been greatly motivated by the experience of losing a son to this evil.
Imagine my surprise when reading the latest issue of The Economist magazine to see that the concept of harm minimisation has been applied by that journal to the subject of female genital mutilation (FGM). If you don’t believe me, click here:
In a Leader article they argue “It is therefore time to consider a new approach. Instead of trying to stamp FGM out entirely, governments should ban the worst forms, permit those that cause no lasting harm and try to persuade parents to choose the least nasty version, or none at all.”
