Fillums

In a further attempt to get a grip on Mr Ecclestone, I rented 28 Days Later. This was derivative and predictable, but nonetheless well-made, and Mr E was very good - although, as with Shallow Grave, I didn't get much of a sense of how he might play the Doctor!

Also Some Like It Hot, which appears to be set in a universe entirely without homosexuality... except possibly the final joke, which killed me - the exact reverse of the normal man-in-drag punchline.

Reproductive freedom

An enlightening essay, Prevention vs. Punishment, gives a view of the difference between pro-choicers who want to prevent unwanted pregnancies, and those pro-lifers who oppose measures such as contraception and sex education. The essay clearly sets out something I've been coming to realise, which is that making abortion illegal is about punishing women for having sex rather than protecting embryos. It also means, to borrow a phrase, "telling lies for God".

From Australia: The National Party have reignited the "debate" on abortion, but the government still isn't keen on it. In an opinion piece, Adele Horin highlights the hypocrisy of anti-choicers who condemn sex education. Meanwhile the Australian Democrats argue that women's privacy must be protected in abortion data - I tend to agree with their suspicion that the demand for information is intended as a deterrent.

In the US: In Georgia, the Senate leader is co-sponsoring a bill to help pharmacists refuse to dispense emergency contracptives, despite admitting he doesn't actually know how they work, nor the difference between Plan B and RU486. In Texas, research shows that Abstinence Programs Haven't Influenced Teens.

Places to visit: Catholic Vote, Catholics For A Free Choice, I'm Not Sorry, Roe v. Wade, abortion, Bombing for Choice