Liberal frontbencher Ben Hood’s abortion bill on brink of upper house support

A conservative Liberal frontbencher’s bid to force mothers terminating pregnancies to deliver babies alive after 27 weeks is on the brink of securing upper house support.

A conservative Liberal frontbencher’s bid to force mothers terminating pregnancies to deliver babies alive after 27 weeks is on the brink of securing support in the upper house.

Eight upper house members have told The Advertiser they will back Liberal Ben Hood’s private member’s bill, to be introduced on Wednesday.

This positions three undecided Labor MPs’ votes as crucial if Mr Hood is to secure an 11-vote majority required to progress his bill.

Premier Peter Malinauskas is expected to allow a Labor conscience vote but stress he does not want the bill to become a distraction from housing, jobs and other major issues.

Labor upper house members said they expected just two colleagues to back the bill, meaning it would fail.

Liberal Moderate Jing Lee was among those backing Mr Hood’s bill but she did not respond to questions about whether this was to firm up her preselection position in a conservative-controlled party.

One Nation’s Sarah Game and crossbencher Frank Pangallo also declared support, along with Liberals Nicola Centofanti, Heidi Girolamo, Laura Henderson and Dennis Hood.

Liberal upper house member Ben Hood with supporters Liberal Nicola Centofanti, University of Adelaide law Professor Joanna Howe, Liberal Laura Henderson, One Nation’s Sarah Game, and Liberal Heidi Girolamo. Picture: Paul Starick

Liberal women joined Mr Hood and University of Adelaide law Professor Joanna Howe, a campaigner against abortion, outside parliament on Tuesday for a rally supporting his bill.

The Advertiser on Monday revealed Mr Hood’s proposed law change, under which mothers ending pregnancies with live births would either choose to keep the baby or, under existing laws, put the child up for adoption.

“The bill does not impinge on a woman’s right to choose a termination. After 27 weeks and six days, the baby must be delivered alive but the pregnancy is still terminated, the baby is just put up for adoption should the mother not choose to keep it,” Mr Hood said.

SA Health data shows fewer than five terminations were performed after 27 weeks since abortion was decriminalised in mid-2022, and there were no terminations after 29 weeks.

Labor upper house members Tung Ngo and Clare Scriven, considered conservative-leaning, and Mira El Dannawi, the state’s first Muslim MP, all said they could not decide a position until they had seen Mr Hood’s bill.

Labor MPs said they expected only Mr Ngo and Ms Scriven to vote for the bill, meaning it would fail.

Mr Hood’s move has ignited a firestorm within the Liberal Party, with rival Moderates accusing the controlling conservatives of politicising the issue as preselections opened.

In a separate conservative move to stymie Liberal defections, preselection candidates must sign a binding document committing to repaying their campaign costs if they are elected and subsequently quit the party.

Liberal state president Leah Blyth, who was elected in August, said: “If candidates are elected to the parliament as Liberals by voters they should remain so. Our community, volunteers and members deserve commitment and transparency. They work tirelessly to see our candidates elected so they may represent their community and advocate for our timeless values.

“The (Liberal) State Executive is providing strength and leadership on this matter to ensure our members, volunteers and supporters will no longer be used and abused to further personal ambitions.”