ALP national policy platform has dropped the words ‘mother’, ‘breastfeeding’ and ‘pregnant mothers’

Questions have been raised about Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese’s ability to stop the woke ‘erasure’ of women if he wins office.

Labor has “betrayed” women by axing the words “mother”, “breastfeeding” and “pregnant women” from its official policy platform, say women’s rights advocates.

The official ALP National Platform, a blueprint for its direction in government, has even got rid of an entire section devoted to “maternal and child health”.

The current 2021 policy document which “sets out the contemporary policy agenda that an Albanese Labor Government will implement” does not mention the word mother once.

In the older 2018 version it spoke about mothers four times, and also had references to pregnant mothers and breastfeeding.

Now the new policy references “people” and “individuals” who are pregnant, which feminists say is part of a transgender debate around “erasing” female specific words.

Although the Liberal Party does not have as detailed a policy document as the ALP, it clearly references “pregnant women”.

“ … Labour supports the rights of individuals to make decisions regarding their reproductive health,” the updated policy now states.

Another sentence says: “ … whether people choose to continue their pregnancy or not”.

The old policy spoke about “support services for pregnant and new mothers”.

The word “women” is mentioned 204 times in the earlier policy and 71 times in the current updated policy.

“If Labor can’t acknowledge that women exist and that women get pregnant and give birth, how can they possibly represent women’s interests?” Coalition for Biological Sex founder Stassja Frei said.

“This erasure of women has alienated many lifelong Labor voters who now feel politically homeless. In their attempts to appease transgender activists who wish to desex the whole of society, Labor has completely betrayed women.

Coalition for Biological Reality founder Stassja Frei.

“We don’t elevate the rights of indigenous Australians by referring to them simply as ‘people’.

“We don’t have legislation for people with disabilities that never mentions the word ‘disability’. It is so misguided and it only seems to be happening to women.”

Feminist legal clinic principal lawyer Anna Kerr said Labor needed to urgently take a stand on women’s sex based rights.

A tweet by Australian journalist Bernard Lane on the issue.

“It was great to read that Albanese knows men don’t give birth but unfortunately he seems to have lost his way since then.

“Left wing feminists are finding themselves politically homeless on account of this issue.

“Albanese needs to speak up soon and stop the erasure of mothers or Labor is going to haemorrhage votes from those who care about women’s sex-based rights.”

Women’s Forum chief executive Rachael Wong said Mr Albanese says “men can’t have babies” but the erasure of the terms “mother” and pregnant women in Labor’s policy platform “suggests otherwise”.

“So which is it? Do Albanese and his party acknowledge and respect the existence of women, their unique experience of pregnancy and motherhood, and the fact of biological sex?” she said.

“Or are they set on wiping women and their lived experience from reality?”

Mr Anthony Albanese was approached for comment and, in response, an ALP campaign spokeswomen stated: “A quick search of the 2021 National Platform shows the word ‘women’ is mentioned 71 times.

“The Labor Party is prepared to defend its record on women and womens’ rights against the Liberals any day of the week.”