11 to 8!? That’s way too close!
Bill to restrict abortions later in pregnancy defeated in South Australia (SA) after emotional debate. The amendment would have watered down the law to allow abortion only where it would save the life of the mother or another fetus, or for significant risk of abnormalities.
Liberal Jane Hume (photo above) says it was ‘an error of judgment’ for Coalition MPs to have raised reservations about whether paid parental leave should apply to parents who undergo a late-term abortion.
The bill, which aimed to restrict access to abortion after 22 weeks and six days was defeated in the South Australian parliament. The former One Nation MLC Sarah Game, who is now an independent, worked with the controversial anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe on the legislation that went before the SA parliament on Wednesday night. It was voted down by 11 votes to eight.
Afterwards, South Australia’s Attorney General referred anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe’s fundraiser ‘game’ for investigation. A bingo card-style game, where supporters are encouraged to ‘buy’ words and phrases linked to a contentious abortion bill, was condemned by crossbench MLCs as a ‘grift’ that trivialised the debate. The so-called “fun little game” launched by the anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe to raise funds during an emotional debate over late-pregnancy abortion in South Australia was referred for investigation. Howe, who has worked with conservative politicians to introduce various state and federal bills to water down abortion rights, said the bingo card-style game was a fundraiser for an anti-abortion war chest.
SOURCES: The Guardian, by Tory Shepherd. 13 November 2025 ; Women’s Agenda, by Tory Shepherd, 13 November 2025 ; The Guardian, by Tory Shepherd, 13 November 2025 ; The Guardian, by Josh Butler, 5 November 2025. PHOTO: Lukas Coch/AAP