There’s nothing pro-women about NSW’s abortion bill

Any pretence Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW Liberals have of being the party of freedom evaporates in the face of an abortion bill that’s being rushed through the parliament without consultation or care, writes Miranda Devine.

Valiant young pro-lifers have been camped outside NSW Parliament House 24/7 to send the message to Premier Gladys Berejiklian that she has made a big mistake trying to railroad her own party with a radical abortion bill worthy of the Greens.

At the very least she needs to pull back the legislation and send it to a committee for analysis, as is the usual practice for such bills. She controls the lower house. It’s entirely her call.

Instead, she has ambushed her own colleagues and betrayed social conservatives in her party.

If NSW needed abortion on demand right up until birth so urgently that proper process must be cast aside, why wasn’t it in the Coalition’s policy platform during the election campaign?

Any pretence the Liberals have of being the party of freedom evaporates in the face of an abortion bill which requires doctors who conscientiously object to refer pregnant patients for terminations, anyway, or be struck off.

MORE FROM MIRANDA DEVINE: Why is a Liberal government pushing radical abortion laws?

Even people who support this illiberal policy should have misgivings about a cynical political stitch-up between Health Minister Brad Hazzard, extreme left independent Greenwich and Labor-Greens abortion enthusiasts.

Brad Hazzard shas shown zero interest in compromise. Picture: AAP/Joel Carrett

Heated clashes on Macquarie Street between activists from both sides reflect the bad faith the Premier has brought to the process.

For example, Hazzard is supposed to be leading discussions over possible amendments to the bill, despite being its co-sponsor and showing zero interest in compromise. He prefers to pose as a hardline feminist hero.

MORE OPINION: Abortion bill doesn’t meet Liberal or social values test

But there is nothing pro-woman about refusing to countenance an amendment to prevent women being coerced into abortions because of threats of domestic violence.

At least when Greens MLC Mehreen Faruqi tried unsuccessfully to get up her own abortion bill in 2017, she did it in public, allowing people to argue the point.

Pro-life and pro-choice advocates have rallied outside the NSW parliament this week ahead of debate on Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

By contrast, Hazzard is believed to have been working on a draft abortion bill with Greenwich, behind the backs of most of his colleagues, since at least May, if not earlier.

The final drafting was done behind closed doors while parliament was on winter recess. Then, the first week back, last week, the bill was sprung on everyone, with the Premier and Opposition Leader Jodi McKay strongarming their troops to pass it immediately and Transport Minister Andrew Constance doing a lot of the dirty work, for his own self-serving reasons.

MORE FROM MIRANDA DEVINE: ‘Celebrating’ abortion shows lack of humanity

This is a conspiracy of political elites at the highest level. It disgraces the Coalition, and it’s high time conservative federal MPs from NSW, particularly the Prime Minister and Nationals leader, found their tongues.

Ray Hadley calls it Berejiklian’s “greyhound moment” and he couldn’t be more right. The Premier’s backing of this divisive legislation betrays a hubris and bad faith at odds with the image she portrayed to voters at the election just a few short months ago.

Voters won’t forgive the betrayal lightly.

@mirandadevine