MPs in New South Wales, Australia, have received death threats for voting against a new extreme abortion bill which would make abortion legal up to birth.
Two Liberal Party MPs, Anthony Roberts and Tanya Davies, report that they have received death threats which are now being investigated by police.
A spokesperson for NSW Police Force said on Wednesday it was now “conducting inquiries into threats made against NSW MPs”.
Anthony Roberts MP confirmed he had received a death threat “earlier in the week” but would not provide further detail. On Wednesday, Liberal MP Tanya Davies also reported she has received a death threat.
“I’m a mother, I’ve got a young family and I’m simply standing up for what I believe in and for working hard to get this bill into a more humane and compassionate framework,” Ms Davies said.
Both MPs voted against the Reproductive Health Care Reform Bill 2019 which intends to remove all restrictions on abortion up until 22 weeks gestation and permit abortion up until birth with the approval of two doctors. The Bill would also allow for abortion of the grounds of the sex of the child.
The Bill passed the Legislative Assembly on August 8th by a vote of 59 to 31, with both MPs criticising the Bill for being rushed through Parliament.
Tanya Davies MP, introduced an amendment that would have explicitly barred sex-selective abortion, but it was ultimately rejected.
New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who supports this extreme abortion law, said the state’s chief obstetrician had advised her that sex selection abortions were “not an issue in NSW”.
“Everybody regards that as an abhorrent practice.”
“This is a black and white issue. The people of NSW, the parliamentarians of NSW do not support sex-selection abortions.”
However, in other countries which have extreme abortion laws, sex-selection abortion does happen. Indeed, Canada, due to its unrestricted access to abortion, has been described as a “haven” for parents wishing to have an abortion because their child is a girl.
A further amendment mandating that a child born alive after a failed abortion should be given lifesaving care was also defeated by pro-abortion MPs.
Right To Life UK spokesperson, Catherine Robinson said:
“No MP should receive death threats regardless of their views. Tanya Davies MP in particular proposed a very moderate amendment which would ban abortion on the basis of sex, but it seems that this was unacceptable to at least one extremist.”
“Furthermore, the fact that these MPs could not even vote to ban sex-selective abortion or agree that a baby born alive after a failed abortion should receive life saving treatment is truly shocking, and reveals the extent to which a majority of these MPs have bought into an unthinking abortion ideology.”
