The Federal Government and the Catholic Church conspire to oppose IVF for single and lesbian women

Thankfully, not just for women, but for all that don’t believe the Church should interfere in the State, the Women’s Electoral Lobby is on the ready to challenge the Bishops.

Which brings us out of the Court and into the Parliament. The reaction by the Federal Government to the McBain case is also disturbing, and demonstrates the deeply cynical state of politics in Australia.

The Prime Minister jumped on the case a little while after the Federal Court ruling, announcing the Federal Government would amend the Federal law to prevent single women from accessing IVF. He claimed it to be an issue of great moral urgency and of protecting States Rights. You don’t remember the Prime Minster making a fuss before hand? That is because the announcement didn’t take place until midway through the ALP National Conference. The PM found himself a suitably divisive foil to draw public and political attention away from the feel good vibe the ALP was enjoying in the national press.

Well, the stunt worked, but now we must face the consequences. The Federal Government has announced that it will introduce an amendment to the Sex Discrimination Act to allow certain groups of women to be discriminated against in certain cases on the grounds of marital status. In one fell swoop our hard won human rights will be fundamentally undermined. Once you introduce the concept of discrimination in certain circumstances into anti discrimination laws, what happens next?

The right of women to enjoy all the opportunities of life regardless of marital status was hard won. If a Federal government can legalise discrimination on the basis of ''morality'' or State rights, what is next? Does marital status once again become the determining factor for women's status? It was only 35 years ago that women were tossed out of the workforce when they got married - this sort of discrimination cuts both ways for women. Maybe we haven't come such a long way, baby.

The Prime Minister continues to stick to his argument that this a fundamental issue of the rights of the child – but this is the leader of a Government that has cut funding to childcare, education, health, domestic violence services, and community legal assistance. Some commitment to the rights of the child!

All of which makes the silence of wets in the Coalition and the excessive noise of the Catholic Right Labor members look unforgivable. The wets are failing to protect hard won human rights (what would JS Mill think?) and the Catholic Right are falling for the oldest political trick in the book – divide and conquer.

The Catholic Bishops might be struggling to have their case heard, and certainly to sustain it if the Federal Government stood strongly by its anti-discrimination laws. How tragic a reflection it will be on our political system if a political stunt is the starting point for unraveling the anti-discrimination act.