SA attorney general refers anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe’s fundraiser ‘game’ for investigation

Bingo card-style game, where supporters encouraged to ‘buy’ words and phrases linked to contentious abortion bill, condemned by crossbench MLCs as a ‘grift’ that trivialised debate

Tory Shepherd
Thu 13 Nov 2025

A “fun little game” launched by the anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe to raise funds during an emotional debate over late-pregnancy abortion in South Australia has been referred for investigation.

Howe, who has worked with conservative politicians to introduce various state and federal bills to water down abortion rights, said the bingo card-style game was a fundraiser for an anti-abortion war chest.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/nov/13/joanna-howe-anti-abortion-activist-sa-attorney-general-ntwnfb

13.11.2025

anti-choice hatred

anti-choice misogyny

Ben Hood

bingo card game on abortion

Australia – Sussan Ley says Priya’s Law criticism ‘insensitive’, shrugs off leadership challenge

Sussan Ley has hit out at claims that women who have abortions could benefit from a new law but stopped short of slamming her own MPs who made the comments.

Ria Pandey
November 5, 2025

Sussan Ley has hit out at claims made by fellow Liberal Andrew Hastie over a landmark paid parental leave law but stopped short of condemning the MP by name as she shrugged off a possible plot by him against her leadership.

The Opposition Leader condemned claims that women who have late-term abortions could be covered by a new law designed to support grieving parents as “insensitive”.

Continued: https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/parenting/pregnancy/sussan-ley-says-priyas-law-criticism-insensitive-shrugs-off-leadership-challenge/news-story/ee9966f1cf784e44a9c9206c0e06a0e4

05.11.2025

Baby Priya brought compassion to the parliament. Then four men hijacked the debate

Jacqueline Maley
November 2, 2025

Politics can be a cynical and nasty business, but outbreaks of grace and compassion do occur. One happened on Wednesday during a parliamentary debate for the second reading speech of “Baby Priya’s Bill”. MP after MP rose to speak with sensitivity about one of life’s most devastating experiences – the birth of a stillborn baby.

The bill will amend workplace laws to ensure employee entitlements to parental leave extend to parents whose baby has been stillborn, or who has tragically died in infancy. The bill is named after baby Priya, who was born prematurely at 24 weeks in June 2024. For six weeks, she battled for life in the neonatal intensive care unit. Then she died.

Continued: https://archive.is/bgAUt
(https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/baby-priya-brought-compassion-to-the-parliament-then-four-men-hijacked-the-debate-20251031-p5n6s7.html)

Australia – Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie rebuked for ‘playing politics’ on abortion in debate on stillbirth leave

Experts warn the fearmongering about late-term terminations is straight out of the anti-abortion handbook

Tory Shepherd, Krishani Dhanji and Josh Butler
Thu 30 Oct 2025

A group of Coalition parliamentarians, including Barnaby Joyce and Andrew Hastie, have seized on a proposed new law to give paid parental leave to parents of a child who is stillborn or dies, arguing it should not be available to anyone needing a late-term abortion.

A senior doctor has labelled the comments as “terrible, cynical, awful” things to say about an often heartbreaking decision, as experts point out that the vast majority of later terminations are forced by major health issues and warn fearmongering about the issue is straight out of the anti-abortion handbook.

Continued: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/30/abortion-stillbirth-leave-barnaby-joyce-andrew-hastie-playing-politics