Premier Chris Minns, Mark Speakman accuse Joanna Howe of spreading misinformation over abortion bill

Premier Chris Minns and Opposition leader Mark Speakman have accused an anti-abortion campaigner of misinformation and threats over a bill which would extend access to abortion.

Premier Chris Minns and Opposition leader Mark Speakman have accused an anti-abortion advocate of spreading misinformation as politicians prepare to vote on a bill which would expand access to the procedure.

In parliament on Tuesday night, Mr Speakman even accused campaigner Joanna Howe of “threatening” him and other MPs with a co-ordinated smear campaign unless they vote against the bill.

Mr Minns accused Dr Howe, a law professor, of spreading “deliberate misinformation” and lies” about MPs voting records on abortion to drum up opposition against the bill.

“When you’re saying an individual MP has voted a certain way when that is clearly not the case … and have been told on social media they have the reverse position. I mean that is deliberate misinformation,” he said.

“There’s enormous amounts of misinformation and lies that have been spread by (Dr Howe) on social media and it’s whipped up a lot of good people in the community believing the legislative changes are far more extensive than they in fact were.

Premier Chris Minns and Opposition leader Mark Speakman have both stood up against Joanna Howe.

“I don’t want to give the impression that MPs are trembling in their boots and worried, what they are really irritated by is the misrepresentation.”

The accusations come after Dr Howe sent an email to Mr Speakman detailing how she planned to lead a “20-month campaign across five marginal (Labor-held) seats” if the premier voted in support of the bill.

In the letter, she threatened to launch a public campaign aimed at toppling Mr Speakman as Liberal Leader if he supported the bill.

However, Mr Speakman said he would support the bill and would “not cave to brazen bullying”.

Prominent anti-abortion advocate Joanna Howe was banned from SA parliament last October for allegedly threatening MPs.

‘GROW A SET’

Responding to the comments on Wednesday, Dr Howe called Mr Speakman a “snowflake” and told him to “grow a set”.

Dr Howe, a former union official and law professor from South Australia, was banned from the SA upper house last October for allegedly insulting, intimidating and threatening MPs on the night of a vote about late-term abortion law.

However, the campaigner denied she had lied or bullied politicians in NSW.

“Mr Minns needs to point to a specific example where I lied about an MP’s voting record or apologise, otherwise I’ll sue him for defamation,” Dr Howe told The Daily Telegraph.

In his comments Mr Minns had referred to Granville MP Julia Finn, who told parliament on Tuesday Dr Howe had “repeatedly called me an anti-abortion MP, which is obviously not true”.

Ms Finn pointed out she voted against decriminalising abortion in 2019 and resigned from EMILY’s List, a left-leaning organisation which aims to help elect candidates in favour of abortion rights, after making it clear she did not “support late-term abortions”.

Labor and Coalition MPs in the lower house have been given a conscience vote on the bill, which was introduced by Upper House Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn.

The majority of the original bill has been stripped of its controversial elements and the only surviving proposed change would allow nurses and midwives to prescribe abortion medication in up to nine weeks in line with other states and existing Therapeutic Goods Administration guidelines.

THE OUTCOME

The bill passed the lower house on Wednesday afternoon following a conscience vote of 65 to 20 and will now return to the upper house to be formally acknowledged and reported.

If it is amended, the lower house will be given another opportunity to consider the changes and vote.

The legislation is only the second Greens bill to ever pass both houses.

Originally published as Premier Chris Minns, Mark Speakman accuse Joanna Howe of spreading misinformation over abortion bill