One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts Pushes for Blanket Abortion Ban

Senator Malcolm Roberts of One Nation has declared his intention to push the party towards adopting a complete ban on abortion. Speaking at a Brisbane Christian conference, Roberts stated that "getting rid of it altogether" is becoming his goal and that he will present this to the party for reconsideration. He anticipates that any such move would be treated as a conscience vote.

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That’s becoming my goal. That’s something I’ll be putting to the party. We need to reconsider some things [but] it will be a conscience vote.

Roberts' position appears to diverge from that of One Nation's leader, Pauline Hanson. Hanson recently indicated that abortions should only be permissible up to 20 weeks of gestation. She also expressed a preference for educating women on contraception over abortion, stating there are "too many abortions in this country, anyway." One Nation has not yet provided a statement clarifying its official policy on the matter.

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I’m not against … women that need to have an abortion for medical reasons, for some circumstance. I’d rather educate women to use contraceptives than to go through an abortion. Too many abortions in this country, anyway.

The senator's comments come amid increased activism from anti-abortion groups in Australia. These groups have been campaigning for legal changes and seeking to replace politicians who do not align with their views. The Church and State summit, where Roberts spoke, featured discussions on abortion, with speakers like founder Dave Pellowe describing abortion as "child sacrifice" and attributing its normalization to a "demonic influence" of feminism.

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My job here this morning is not to condemn women who have killed their children, for God already does that. Every murderer knows they’re guilty of murder.

Pellowe urged the audience to "end the careers of politicians who want to keep funding the killing of Australians" and to replace them. The anti-abortion movement has gained momentum following the decriminalization of abortion in Australia and the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States, leading to various legislative attempts to recriminalize the procedure.

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Let’s end the careers of politicians who want to keep funding the killing of Australians. They must be replaced.