NSW One Nation leader vows to fight for abortion controls
The NSW leader of One Nation has told a rally outside state parliament that he will seek tighter controls on abortion if his party is successful in the March election.
Mike Newman, the leader of the One Nation party in New South Wales (NSW), has pledged to fight for tighter abortion controls if his party secures power in the upcoming March election. Newman, who is running for election in the Hunter Valley seat of Cessnock, made the vow during a rally outside state parliament. His party aims to restrict abortions for sex-selection and late-term procedures, though such practices are already prohibited under NSW Health policies.
The NSW Premier, Chris Minns, has cautioned voters to scrutinize One Nation's policies before the state election next year. Newman, along with prominent anti-abortion campaigner Joanna Howe, vowed to support a right-to-life agenda, opposing same-sex abortion and early terminations. If elected, Newman stated he would work towards passing the private member's bill proposed by Libertarian MP John Ruddick, which would prohibit abortions for sex-selection purposes. Ruddick's bill could see medical practitioners face jail terms for breaching the rules.
Federal One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce echoed Newman's stance at a similar rally in June, even if it might make him politically unpopular. Critics, such as Greens MP Amanda Cohn, argue that One Nation's support for the bill is an attempt to re-criminalize abortion in NSW, a thinly-veiled move to limit reproductive rights. A NSW Health review found that between October 2019 and September 2020, 15,973 terminations were reported, with 13 being for sex-selection.
However, the review found that 10 of these cases were likely to be reporting errors due to premature terminations.
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