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Abortion foes told to join party
By Linda Morris
February 17, 2005
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Anti-abortion campaigners have been urged to join the branches of mainstream political parties to push for a ban on abortion.
Describing abortion as the blackest of crimes, the conservative upper house member and Liberal powerbroker David Clarke told abortion opponents at State Parliament yesterday that they should maximise their influence at grassroots preselection ballots.
Speaking at an abortion forum chaired by the Christian Democrats leader, Fred Nile, Mr Clarke said an ideological shift from left to right in the Young Liberal movement pointed to a growing conservative political mood.
The national convention of the Young Liberals had elected its first actively anti-abortion national president, voted down Medicare-funded abortions and called for a ban on "partial birth abortions".
Traditional letter writing campaigns had limited value, Mr Clarke told the Alternatives to Abortion forum. Two Liberals anti-abortion parliamentarians, Alan Cadman and Eric Abetz, had almost lost their preselection ballots by a vote or two, he said.
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Advertisement"I can assure you, parliamentarians take more notice of a pro-lifer on their preselection panel than a pro-lifer sending him letters," Mr Clarke said.
"Help on preselections is more help than help on election day from pro-life members. I'm suggesting that pro-lifers start thinking outside the square.
"I'm suggesting that involvement in the political process will pay big dividends for a minimum investment of time."
The abortion debate was reignited three weeks ago when a coalition of 12 religious leaders called for a ban on late-term abortions and mandatory counselling for women seeking an abortion. The Prime Minister, John Howard, has given the green light to a parliamentary debate but says there will be no end to Medicare funding of abortions.
Mr Clarke's advice for abortion opponents feeds on the fears of moderates within the NSW Liberal Party that its right wing is embarking on a renewed push for a hardline moral agenda that risks consigning the party to the political wilderness. Some in the anti-abortion movement are also concerned that too strong a political push may alienate voters.
But the active political involvement of the pro-abortion lobby could well strengthen the hand of abortion opponents in government such as the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, an outspoken critic of the abortion "epidemic".
Mr Clarke is a leader of the right-wing faction of the party and is associated with the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei. His staff member Alex Hawke, a member of the Hillsong Church, was elected national president of the Young Liberals last month.
Mr Hawke said the message of grassroots involvement was not about encouraging branch stacking but changing the party's platform, MPs' outlook and the party's organisational culture.
"We don't want Tony Abbott standing out on a limb; we want more standard bearers to take up the cause and help affect change," Mr Hawke said.
But the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said the comments of Liberal MPs such as Mr Clarke were a distraction from more important political debates such as over the war in Iraq.
Mr Nile told the forum the Federal Government should provide funds for one-stop anti-abortion shops where women with unwanted pregnancies could go for counselling and support
By Linda Morris
February 17, 2005
Page Tools
Email to a friend Printer format
Anti-abortion campaigners have been urged to join the branches of mainstream political parties to push for a ban on abortion.
Describing abortion as the blackest of crimes, the conservative upper house member and Liberal powerbroker David Clarke told abortion opponents at State Parliament yesterday that they should maximise their influence at grassroots preselection ballots.
Speaking at an abortion forum chaired by the Christian Democrats leader, Fred Nile, Mr Clarke said an ideological shift from left to right in the Young Liberal movement pointed to a growing conservative political mood.
The national convention of the Young Liberals had elected its first actively anti-abortion national president, voted down Medicare-funded abortions and called for a ban on "partial birth abortions".
Traditional letter writing campaigns had limited value, Mr Clarke told the Alternatives to Abortion forum. Two Liberals anti-abortion parliamentarians, Alan Cadman and Eric Abetz, had almost lost their preselection ballots by a vote or two, he said.
Advertisement
Advertisement"I can assure you, parliamentarians take more notice of a pro-lifer on their preselection panel than a pro-lifer sending him letters," Mr Clarke said.
"Help on preselections is more help than help on election day from pro-life members. I'm suggesting that pro-lifers start thinking outside the square.
"I'm suggesting that involvement in the political process will pay big dividends for a minimum investment of time."
The abortion debate was reignited three weeks ago when a coalition of 12 religious leaders called for a ban on late-term abortions and mandatory counselling for women seeking an abortion. The Prime Minister, John Howard, has given the green light to a parliamentary debate but says there will be no end to Medicare funding of abortions.
Mr Clarke's advice for abortion opponents feeds on the fears of moderates within the NSW Liberal Party that its right wing is embarking on a renewed push for a hardline moral agenda that risks consigning the party to the political wilderness. Some in the anti-abortion movement are also concerned that too strong a political push may alienate voters.
But the active political involvement of the pro-abortion lobby could well strengthen the hand of abortion opponents in government such as the Health Minister, Tony Abbott, an outspoken critic of the abortion "epidemic".
Mr Clarke is a leader of the right-wing faction of the party and is associated with the conservative Catholic movement Opus Dei. His staff member Alex Hawke, a member of the Hillsong Church, was elected national president of the Young Liberals last month.
Mr Hawke said the message of grassroots involvement was not about encouraging branch stacking but changing the party's platform, MPs' outlook and the party's organisational culture.
"We don't want Tony Abbott standing out on a limb; we want more standard bearers to take up the cause and help affect change," Mr Hawke said.
But the Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said the comments of Liberal MPs such as Mr Clarke were a distraction from more important political debates such as over the war in Iraq.
Mr Nile told the forum the Federal Government should provide funds for one-stop anti-abortion shops where women with unwanted pregnancies could go for counselling and support