NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Mark Speakman slam anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe over misinformation, bullying claims

NSW Premier Chris Minns has joined Opposition Leader Mark Speakman in accusing an anti-abortion activist of spreading “misinformation”, hours before parliamentarians vote on a hotly contested bill seeking to expand access to abortions in the state.

Mr Minns accused campaigner Dr Joanna Howe on Wednesday of spreading an “enormous amount of misinformation” on social media, but noted he did not blame her for a rumour that consciences objectors would be compelled to perform abortions.

“It’s whipped up a lot of good people in the community, believing that the reform changes, the legislative changes, are far more extensive than they are,” Mr Minns said.

“I think that there are genuine differences, particularly when you have a matter as sensitive as abortion.

“It’s not helped by putting an enormous amount of misinformation.

“As for threatening politicians about what you will and won’t do, well that’s a matter for activists. But, generally speaking, Australian politicians, regardless of their background or ideology, react incredibly poorly to that kind of threat.”

Mr Speakman on Tuesday night accused Ms Howe, who is self-described as “the lead advocate” against the bill, of “brazen bullying” following an email in which she told the Liberal leader she would halt a campaign targeting Labor seats.

“Should Premier Minns vote for the bill and enable its passage, I will be leading a 20-month campaign across five marginal seats that are currently Labor-held but are also in socially conservative electorates,” Mr Speakman said Ms Howe said.

“However, if you choose to vote for the bill, I will be left with no other choice but to suspend my planned campaign against Labor in order to lead a public campaign aimed at

encouraging a grassroots opposition to you as Liberal leader.”

In response, Mr Speakman said he would “not cave to brazen bullying like this nor to the Americanisation of NSW politics. I will vote according to my conscience and balance difficult and sensitive ethical, social, moral and medical concerns.

“I thank all constituents who have contacted me. I have carefully considered their sincere and varying views. I will therefore vote for the bill. I think that, on balance, the bill will make no material difference to the rate of abortion in NSW.

“It will not interfere with freedom of conscience and will probably lead to better, not worse, health outcomes for many pregnant women seeking abortions.”

Mr Speakman said some opposition to the bill was “based on misinformation” and that “the attacks on freedom of conscience and freedom of religion in the original bill have now been removed by successful amendments.”

The Liberal leader described the bill as a “shadow of its former self” and could “no longer be characterised as a ‘radical Greens bill’”, noting that there was “no way I could have voted for the bill in its original form”.

Those views were somewhat reflected by Mr Minns on Wednesday.

The Premier told the media he would support the bill “in its current incarnation”.

“I couldn’t have supported the removal of conscientious objection, but it’s not in the bill anymore,” he said.

The bill, introduced by upper house Greens MP Dr Amanda Cohn in February, would expand access to abortions by allowing nurse practitioners to supply medication to terminate pregnancies of up to nine weeks in gestation.

It will be voted on tonight in the NSW Legislative Assembly where, if passed, it will become law.

The vote comes after a raft of amendments, including the removal of provisions to empower the Health Minister to compel public health services to comply with directions to offer abortion services and would require practitioners who object to abortion to refer a patient to someone who will perform the abortion.

The bill has stirred fiery debate since it was tabled.

In a parliamentary debate last week, upper house Liberal MP Chris Rath compared abortion to the Nazi genocide of Jews, stating “it is bizarre that abortion is increasingly being categorised as a human right to health care”.

Mr Rath later apologised for the statement.

In Facebook video on Wednesday, Ms Howe claimed Mr Speakman’s speech had been leaked to the media “because they think it will stop me from speaking”, and vowed to publish the email to “let you guys decide” if she was a “bully”.