Abortion bill in NSW used to push Australian politics further to the right

Abortion bill in NSW used to push Australian politics further to the right

By Cheryl Crisp
16 September 2019

Legislation to decriminalise abortion in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales (NSW), is being used by forces within the state’s ruling Liberal Party to push politics even further in the direction of extreme right-wing populism.

The Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019, which passed in the state’s Legislative Assembly (lower house) on August 8, is scheduled to be voted on in the upper house (Legislative Council) tomorrow, September 17. A delay was demanded by its right-wing opponents in order to gain time to block the bill’s passage in its present form.

Continued: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/09/16/abor-s16.html

NSW – The social media tactics being used to shape the abortion debate

The social media tactics being used to shape the abortion debate

By Paige Cockburn, state political reporter Ashleigh Raper, and Kevin Nguyen
Posted Sat Aug 24, 2019

While politicians in NSW debate a controversial bill that would decriminalise abortion, opponents of the new laws have been winning the fight in cyberspace.

The bill, proposed by Independent MP Alex Greenwich, was last week debated in the Upper House and is set to be voted on next month.

Continued: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-25/how-anti-abortion-campaigners-are-winning-the-fight-online/11433962

NSW abortion law: the decriminalisation reform bill explained

NSW abortion law: the decriminalisation reform bill explained
Opponents claim the new law will allow sex selection and abortion up until birth. But what does the bill actually do?

Michael McGowan
Mon 19 Aug 2019

In the two weeks since an historic bill removing abortion from the New South Wales criminal code passed its first hurdle in the parliament’s lower house, opponents of the legislation have fought hard to stop it becoming law.

Religious leaders, rightwing MPs and conservative media commentators have all mounted a concerted campaign to derail the legislation ahead of the vote. Opponents claim the bill will allow so-called gender or sex selection and abortion “on demand” up until birth.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/aug/19/nsw-abortion-law-the-decriminalisation-reform-bill-explained

NSW abortion law: Shooters party signals it will oppose bill due to fears of ‘sex selection’

NSW abortion law: Shooters party signals it will oppose bill due to fears of 'sex selection'
Robert Borsak says lack of provisions to stop ‘gender selection’ means party will inevitably vote against it

Michael McGowan
Sat 10 Aug 2019

The powerful New South Wales upper house Shooters, Fishers and Farmers party won’t support a historic bill to decriminalise abortion in the state because of concern about a lack of provisions around so-called “sex selection” in the legislation.

Robert Borsak, one of two SFFP upper house MPs, told Guardian Australia on Saturday that the party would not support the bill without amendments aimed at preventing what he called “sex selection”, despite all three of its lower house MPs voting in favour of the bill when it passed on Thursday.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/10/nsw-abortion-law-shooters-party-signals-it-will-oppose-bill-due-to-fears-of-sex-selection