'Perverse logic' over abortion, Barnaby Joyce tells Sydney crowd

Lead

Former Nationals leader and current One Nation recruitment Barnaby Joyce appeared at a demonstration outside New South Wales parliament on Tuesday evening, calling for stricter abortion controls and pressuring Nationals MPs to support a private member's bill banning sex-selective abortions. The bill, introduced by Libertarian upper house member John Ruddick, is due to be debated in parliament and could face a vote in the coming days, as reported by multiple outlets.

Coverage Comparison

Reporting from ABC Australia and two Guardian articles provides a comprehensive picture of the event, the proposed legislation, and the surrounding debate. ABC's coverage focused on the demonstration itself and the details of the bill, noting that the practice of sex-selective abortion is already disallowed under NSW Health policy and was formally opposed by parliament in 2019 when abortion was decriminalised. The Guardian's coverage, in two separate articles, offered a more critical perspective, quoting experts who argue the bill is unnecessary, likely ineffective, and could have harmful consequences for reproductive rights.

Key Claims

According to ABC Australia, the rally, headlined by Mr Joyce, drew a crowd of approximately 1,500 people. Mr Joyce, who travelled from Canberra for the event, told attendees that politicians are fearful of losing their jobs and encouraged them to campaign against sitting politicians on the issue of abortion.

The bill under consideration, moved by John Ruddick, would explicitly outlaw abortions performed for the purpose of sex selection and introduce penalties for medical practitioners, including fines of up to $22,000 or up to five years in prison, as detailed by ABC News.

Dr Joanna Howe, who organised the rally and invited Mr Joyce, told the crowd that the four Nationals members of the NSW upper house were the only obstacle to the bill passing, although it would still require lower house approval to become law. She warned that if the Nationals did not pass the bill, One Nation would contest their seats, according to a report by The Guardian. Howe also indicated that the bill was part of a broader campaign, stating, "Every year in this state, we will introduce a bill until we protect all the babies."

NSW Health has stated that sex-selection abortions are rare, and a 2020 review found that terminations are rarely performed for the sole purpose of sex selection in NSW, as reported by ABC News and The Guardian. The state health minister, Ryan Park, was quoted by The Guardian as saying, "There is no evidence that sex selection is occurring in NSW."

Perspectives

Supporters of the bill, including Mr Joyce and rally organisers, argue that passing the legislation sends a message about the equal value of girls and boys. Mr Joyce told the crowd, "If, by some perverse form of logic, it was legal to kill toddlers if they were the wrong sex, we'd have a demonstration that would go from here, over the Harbour Bridge, all the way over to Manly... Yet, for some unknown reason, if they're in utero, it's OK." He conceded that taking such a stance might not be popular, adding, "Politically, does this make you popular? Nup. But you know why you do it? Because it's the right thing to do."

Critics, including medical experts and reproductive rights advocates, contend that the bill is unnecessary and potentially harmful. The president of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, Dr Nisha Khot, told The Guardian that the bill is "predicated on misinformation," that existing restrictions already cover sex-selection abortion for non-medical reasons, and that the "underlying aim is to restrict access to abortion."

The Guardian also reported that Mr Ruddick himself concedes the law is not enforceable, noting that a mother could simply give another reason for seeking an abortion. The Guardian's analysis suggests that laws of this kind tend to target immigrants, increase stigma, and wind back reproductive rights.

The bill's progression through the NSW upper house remains uncertain, with anti-abortion activists threatening to campaign against major parties if the bill fails, as reported by The Guardian. The vote, expected in the coming days, will test the influence of this campaign on the state's political landscape.