Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile pushing conscience vote to change law to recognise unborn
A CONSCIENCE vote may be held in NSW Parliament today on a controversial law that makes it an offence to harm a foetus — the move is being pushed by Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile after a heavily pregnant mother and her twin foetuses died in a horror car crash last month.
A CONSCIENCE vote may be held in NSW Parliament today on a controversial law that makes it an offence to harm a foetus.
The move is being pushed by Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile who has seized on recent momentum to change the law after a heavily pregnant mother and her twin foetuses died in a horror car crash last month in Orchard Hills.
There was no scope in current law to charge the driver over the deaths of the foetuses.
In the wake of these deaths, Premier Gladys Berejiklian instructed Attorney-General Mark Speakman to investigate the legalities of introducing a law making it an offence to harm a foetus — such as through violence or a car crash — and how this could be applied. This process is still underway.
Reverend Nile’s fresh push for “Zoe’s Law” in the Upper House today is the latest in several attempts by him over the past five years to make the law a reality.
The law has been criticised as an attempt to water down abortion laws.
“Zoe’s Law has absolutely nothing to do with abortion. I am disgusted at the thought that some people will allow their politics to interfere in the formulation of compassionate policy,” Reverend Nile said.
Senior Liberal sources said the law could get stuck in amendments review today or could proceed to a conscience vote with government and Labor MPs allowed to vote with their conscience.
But a senior Labor source said Reverend Nile had not been lobbying to secure the numbers for the vote while a senior Liberal source said it was unlikely to be passed through the upper house on Thursday in it’s current form.
Shadow health minister Walt Secord said he would oppose the legislation.
“I fear there will be unintended consequences on a woman’s right to have access to an abortion,” he said.
If it is passed through the Upper House the bill is not expected to have majority support in the lower house.
The bill was introduced in 2017 by Reverend Nile but he stalled it after backlash over concerns it undermined a woman’s right to abortion.
Originally published as Christian Democrat MP Reverend Fred Nile pushing conscience vote to change law to recognise unborn