Christine is the State Member for Pascoe Vale, which encompasses Pascoe Vale, Pascoe Vale South, Oak Park, and the western districts of Coburg.
Her profile reads much like that of any other apparatchik: concern, compassion, community-mindedness, early age, community groups, member of, many years, keen involvement, electorate officer.
However, Christine's story has a curious theme: ethics. Yes, although her constituency mail has her fascinated by 'jobs jobs jobs', in fact she is frequently concerned with 'the dignity of the human person', and is currently studying a Masters in Bioethics.
How bloody fascinating.
What a relief to have a polly who isn't writing their own prognosis on how the first way can be combined with the second way to create the Third Way to salvation.
Yet how is this concern for ethics manifest?
As a member of the 2nd coolest creek gang going around (Friends of the Merri Creek, of course), is she raging against the degradation of the Merri?
Mmm, no.
As a member of the Moreland Bicycle Users Group, is she lurking at intersections, casting guilt-trips at single-occupant cars?
Mmm, no.
In fact, Christine is concerned about abortion, in particular the devaluation of a human life in embryo form. Kudos for Christine for stating her views; she makes no bones about the fact she believes motherhood begins with pregnancy. Her views are not held by M.Shriek, and at least for the purposes of this initial observation of Christine's interest in bioethics, we are concerned with terminology, not rationale.
In particular, her use of the term 'abortion industry'.
Now, terminology is a funny thing. We all use it with different meanings, and goodness knows the discourse surrounding abortion has been punctuated by regular use of heavily-laden if not downright nasty terms. 'Abortion industry' is one of them. It implies an industry which actively encourages poor contraception, unsafe sex, and accidental pregnancies purely in order to make a profit. 'Abortion,' says Christine, 'is about both a woman and her unborn. Abortion can never be about one or the other'. That's a noble sentiment, so long as we bear in mind that there is no Third Way in bioethics either - you cannot synthesise a woman and her unborn to concoct an 'abortion industry'.
Why should this get my goat? Because the kind of people who use the term 'abortion industry' are people like David Duke. The same David Duke who argues that the 'abortion industry' is run by 'extremist jews'.
M.Shriek eschews guilt by association. But M.Shriek also implores with Christine to watch her terminology, lest the unwitting mistakenly connect her to the profoundly unsavoury opinions of people like David Duke.
All the best to Christine Campbell, MP.
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