Women’s Minister Calls out Opposition for Avoiding Abortion Discussion

Minister for Women Katy Gallagher has given her opinion on the federal opposition’s stance on abortion.

According to reports, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has decided not to make abortion a central issue in the upcoming federal election, advising Liberal-National Coalition members to avoid discussing the topic to prevent alienating inner-city voters.

Gallagher criticized Dutton for downplaying the issue for political advantage, stating, “It is typical of Peter Dutton to see this solely as a matter of gaining or losing votes, rather than a real commitment to women’s healthcare.”

Dutton Warns Coalition to Avoid the Abortion Issue

During a Coalition meeting on Nov. 5, Dutton emphasized that abortion debates had cost the party some support in the recent Queensland state election, labeling the topic as a potential distraction with the upcoming election next year.

He encouraged MPs to concentrate on national issues rather than issues typically handled at the state level.

Dutton’s stance on abortion is viewed as a strategic move to prevent Labor from using it against the Coalition, as abortion is a sensitive topic for certain voting demographics.

Nationals Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price recently voiced her opposition to late-term abortions, referring to the procedure as “infanticide.”

Gallagher Calls on Dutton to Address ‘Dangerous’ Bill

Meanwhile, Labor’s Gallagher further urged Dutton to persuade Coalition Senators Matthew Canavan and Alex Antic to retract their private members’ Human Rights (Children Born Alive Protection) Bill 2022.

The bill “clarifies that children born alive are persons, requires health practitioners to provide medical care, treatment, and statistics on children born alive as a result of terminations; and provides that the mother of a child born alive is not liable to prosecution for an offence in respect of that child.”

Gallagher labeled the bill as “dangerous” and demanded its immediate withdrawal.

“If Peter Dutton wants credibility on women’s healthcare, he must ensure Senators Canavan and Antic withdraw their anti-abortion bill from the Senate,” she asserted.

High Abortion Rates in Australia

Australia’s abortion rate reflects a global trend, with approximately 42 million abortions occurring worldwide each year.

Estimates indicate around 80,000 terminations occur annually in Australia.

Pro-abortion group Children by Choice reports that about one in four pregnancies in Australia ends in abortion, though accurate data remains challenging to collect.

Medicare billing codes for abortion overlap with those used for miscarriages and other gynaecological treatments, complicating precise tracking.

A 2005 estimate placed the national abortion rate at 83,210, equating to thousands of unborn Australian children each year.

That year, about 259,800 live births were recorded.