Barnaby Joyce enters NSW abortion debate again: ‘Two doctors do not equal God’
Barnaby Joyce disputes claims laws decriminalising abortion are consistent with current practice.
Former Deputy PM Barnaby Joyce has weighed into the NSW abortion debate again, disputing statements by Health Minister Brad Hazzard that laws decriminalising the practice expected to pass NSW parliament this week are consistent with current practice.
Mr Joyce contacted The Australian after comments from Mr Hazzard this morning and said that, at present, late term abortions required an assessment by a psychiatrist and an ethics committee, as he understood it, not just the assessment of two doctors as the legislation provides.
“Two doctors does not equal God,” Mr Joyce said. “Just because they’re doctors does not mean they have a right to determine whether a healthy person lives or dies.
“Apparently the [current] process that works quite well says that you need . . a psychiatrist and ethics committee and we’re going to [change that] to two doctors.”
He said of the foetuses: “Just because you’re not conscious of your rights doesn’t mean you don’t have them.”
Mr Joyce said that in the conscience vote he believed NSW Nationals Michael Johnsen and Stephen Bromhead would oppose it.
Vote risks dividing Coalition
The parliamentary vote risks a damaging split in the government as Premier Gladys Berejiklian faces internal pressure to support amendments softening the legislation.
The two points of contention among Liberals in the draft laws — which will be the subject of a conscience vote — appear to be the ability for doctors to conscientiously object to referring a woman to have an abortion, and allowing late-term terminations.
Treasurer and deputy Liberal leader Dominic Perrottet is among those pushing for conservative amendments.
But Mr Hazzard was defiant last night, saying: “I believe the bill as it presents is the best possible. It doesn’t impose other people’s morals or perspectives.
“I see some are arguing that the legislation will make it easier for late-term terminations.
“That is just plain false. There are two doctors required to make that decision as opposed to under the current system and, furthermore, late-term abortions generally require a whole medical team including counsellors and allied health staff.”
Opponents in the Liberal right — who are unlikely to garner the numbers to vote down the bill — will move to bring the latest legal abortion to 20 weeks and are focusing on trying to get the Premier’s support for that amendment. Mr Perrottet has also flagged an amendment to allow doctors to conscientiously object.
The bill allows “a termination of a pregnancy to be performed by a medical practitioner on a person who is more than 22 weeks’ pregnant in certain circumstances.
It also requires that: “a registered health practitioner who has a conscientious objection to the performance of a termination on a person to disclose the objection and refer the person to another practitioner who does not have a conscientious objection.”
The bill “provides that a medical practitioner may perform a termination on a person who is more than 22 weeks’ pregnant if the medical practitioner considers that ... a termination should be performed and has consulted with another medical practitioner who agrees the termination should be performed. A medical practitioner may also perform a termination without consultation if it is necessary to save the person’s life or save another foetus”.
The bill will “repeal offences relating to abortion in the Crimes Act 1900 and abolish any common law rules relating to abortion”.
There is opposition to the bill in the Labor and Liberal parties but it is expected to pass the upper house relatively comfortably with opponents believing their only chance of amending it to be in the lower house.
Mr Perrottet told The Sunday Telegraph that he “could not support laws that stopped “the beating heart of an unborn child”.
“This bill removes the requirement that late-term abortions are only to be performed to preserve the health and wellbeing of the mother,” Mr Perrottet said.
“Instead, it allows late-term abortions right up to birth without any real restrictions.
“Gladys Berejiklian and I agree on most things. On this issue we agree to disagree.” A spokesman for Ms Berejiklian said the Premier had no comment on Mr Perrottet’s comments.
Finance Minister Damien Tudehope said: “I hope the debate occurs this week in a reasoned and sane way and the proposers of the bill properly consider amendments which may reflect the concerns of some members relating to conscientious objections and late-term abortions.”
Riverstone Liberal MP Kevin Conolly said he believed “many MPs, including some who may have initially been inclined to support it, have expressed significant reservations about parts of the bill to me”.
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstretricians and Gynaecologists yesterday put out a statement supporting the laws.
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