Family First today wrote to all 93 members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly warning them the minor party would preference against anyone who votes for the Greens' radical abortion bill at the 2027 election. A copy of the letter from Family First National Director Lyle Shelton is attached (and reproduced below). Family First welcomes the removal of some of the most extreme elements of the New South Wales Greens' abortion bill, including the attempt to strip conscience rights from pro-life doctors and compel religious hospitals to abort babies. However, the remaining provision — which turns nurse practitioners and midwives into abortionists prescribing the abortion chemicals MS-2 Step to pregnant women up to nine weeks' gestation — should also be voted down today. The gutting of large parts of the bill was a significant and hard-fought win for common sense and human dignity. Credit is due to Adelaide University Law Professor Dr Joanna Howe for her leadership of effective protests outside the NSW Parliament House in Macquarie Street and for her advocacy of the amendments passed last week in the Legislative Council. Family First supporters and National Director Lyle Shelton joined thousands of demonstrators in Macquarie street last Wednesday night ahead of the Legislative Council debate. While amended, the bill burdens midwives and nurses with the administration of a drug that is known to harm women and end the lives of unborn children. Family First strongly opposes this provision. While the abortion lobby frames this change as a matter of eliminating "abortion deserts", the reality is that MS-2 Step is not safe. A recent study conducted by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) analysed data from 865,727 cases of prescribed mifepristone abortions in the United States between 2017 and 2023. This research found that 10.93% of women experienced serious adverse events, such as sepsis, infection, or haemorrhaging. This figure is significantly higher than the less than 0.5% serious complication rate reported in earlier clinical trials, which were based on a much smaller sample size of approximately 30,966 participants. Family First notes that the The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) states "women should be advised to stay close (ie within a two-hour drive) to a hospital capable of managing a miscarriage following" a chemical abortion (see Australian Journal of Practice, June 2020 https://www1.racgp.org.au/getattachment/a490dd90-4519-462e-83c9-e18c37fec60a/Medical-abortion.aspx). It's a shame Liberal, National and Labor politicians are ignoring the EPPC research. It's a shame the media won't report it. Family First will be running pro-life candidates at the 2027 NSW election who will fight to persuade their fellow citizens to support democratic changes to the law to protect vulnerable humans and their mothers. Family First will actively preference against any MP who votes in favour of the Greens' bill, whether Labor, Liberal, National or otherwise. The conscience vote afforded to MPs cannot be used as a moral cover for policies that damage women and kill babies. The people of NSW deserve MPs who will stand for the most vulnerable—not only the unborn but also the women who are too often misled about the real risks of chemical abortion. Family First calls on all members of the Legislative Assembly to reject this bill in its entirety. Do not allow nurses and midwives to become instruments of harm in the name of progress. There is nothing progressive about death. There is nothing safe about this bill. There is still time to stop it.
Here is the text of the letter to MPs:
Tuesday May 13, 2025
RE: Family First will preference against MPs who vote for Dr Amanda Cohn's abortion bill
Dear <>,
I write to advise that the Family First Party will actively preference against all Members of Parliament who vote for Dr Amanda Cohn's Abortion Law Reform Amendment (Health Care Access) Bill 2025, regardless of the views of your opponent, at the 2027 NSW State Election.
This is the strategy we deployed successfully in South Australia, where Family First made it clear to voters that we would target sitting MPs who supported abortion expansion—no matter who stood against them. We intend to do the same in New South Wales.
Apart from allowing the taking innocent human life, the bill before Parliament is radical and dangerous. It seeks to allow midwives and nurses, many of whom lack adequate training in abortion procedures, to prescribe the abortion drug MS-2 Step. This is despite clear evidence that one in 10 women experience complications (see recent research available at https://eppc.org/stop-harming-women/) — a serious risk for all women, especially those in rural and regional areas where emergency care is often not readily accessible.
Family First notes that the The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) states "women should be advised to stay close (ie within a two-hour drive) to a hospital capable of managing a miscarriage following" a chemical abortion (see Australian Journal of Practice, June 2020 https://www1.racgp.org.au/getattachment/a490dd90-4519-462e-83c9-e18c37fec60a/Medical-abortion.aspx).
Far from "health care access", this bill exposes women to higher medical risk, downplays the dangers of incomplete abortion, infection, haemorrhage, and ignores the emotional trauma many women suffer.
Family First is unapologetically pro-woman and pro-life. We will campaign vigorously against this bill and any MP who supports it. The electorate will be made aware of your voting record.
I urge you to stand for safety and the dignity of both mothers and their unborn children. Please vote against Dr Cohn's bill.
Sincerely,
Lyle Shelton National Director
