Paid parental go away invoice: Conservative MPs Andrew Hastie, Barnaby Joyce argue late-term abortion threat | USAEMALL.com

A string of conservative MPs have told Parliament they are concerned that legislation aimed at ensuring people who have stillbirths can take their pre-arranged paid parental leave while grieving could support or encourage people to have late-term abortions.

One said that “people who don’t wish to be parents” shouldn’t be allowed to take parental leave.

This comment came despite the Coalition party room deciding on Tuesday to back the legislation.

The discussion around late-term abortions – after about 22 weeks of pregnancy – has become increasingly politically charged despite experts saying it is statistically very rare in Australia.

Barnaby Joyce, Andrew Hastie, Tony Pasin and Henry Pike used speeches in the little-watched Federation Chamber on Wednesday morning to outline their concerns.

Tony Pasin, a South Australian Liberal, says it appeared to be an “unintended consequence” of the bill that it would treat an “intentionally aborted baby” the same way as a stillbirth or a baby who died shortly after birth.

“Paid parental leave … should be available to people who are parents. It should be available to people who wish to be parents, but for the grace of God, have not become parents through that incident or outcome,” he said.

“But it shouldn’t be available, it shouldn’t be available to people who don’t wish to be parents.”

Barnaby Joyce – still a National Party member despite this week removing himself from its party room – called on the minister to clarify the definition of who the changes applied to, saying if it encompassed late-term abortion, “that takes it into a completely different realm”.

“On the extension of it, if that’s where it goes, we have every right not to vote for it,” he said.

Andrew Hastie said the intention to give certainty to families suffering after losing a baby was a “noble, good thing”, but he too expressed concern about unintended consequences.

“It’s no secret that I’m opposed to late-term abortions,” he said.

Labor’s Jermone Laxale pushed back, telling the MPs opposing that the bill was about fixing a loophole in workplace law identified by grieving parents, and only about that.

“It’s not about anything else. It’s not about a culture war. It’s a bill born from heartbreak and from the hope of Baby Priya’s parents,” he said.

Shadow workplace relations minister Tim Wilson had said on Tuesday night he was proud the Coalition would back the legislation.

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