Increasingly, politicians who oppose abortion are subject to bullying, political pressure and even threats of violence. As the debate about abortion becomes more heated, so does the vitriol thrown at pro-life politicians.
Death threats in New South Wales
Politicians in New South Wales recently received phone calls threatening violence because of their pro-life voting records. Just weeks ago, Tanya Davies MP received death threats over her office voicemail. Ms Davies had recently voted against a bill seeking to decriminalise abortion in New South Wales. Along with a death threat, the caller said ‘leave the f***ing situation in women’s hands’. A 47-year-old man was charged in connection to the incident. When asked about the voicemail, Ms Davies said, "I am simply standing up for what I believe in and working hard to get this bill into a more humane and compassionate framework. Abortion is a very complex, emotive and highly sensitive topic. We need to have a civilised conversation without threats of violence or death".
Anthony Roberts, the Minister for Counter Terrorism and another opponent of the decriminalisation bill, also received threatening calls to his office. The call was answered by one of his staff members. A 58-year-old man was charged for making the phone call.
It’s not only politicians who have received abuse over the NSW decriminalisation vote. On 14 August, a cyclist spat in the face of a pro-life demonstrator outside of the NSW Parliament building. The incident was caught on camera.
That the abortion debate has devolved to anonymous threats of violence is unacceptable. Political discourse should be civilised and reasonable, especially when dealing with sensitive issues such as abortion. It shows desperation among abortion advocates that they feel the need to physically threaten those who disagree with them.
Threats and bullying in the UK
Closer to home, SNP MP Lisa Cameron was
threatened with deselection after voting against legislating for abortion in Northern Ireland.
After the vote, Mrs Cameron received abuse online, calling for her to be deselected from the party. One commenter even went as far as to threaten to ‘abort’ her. It didn’t stop there; Mrs Cameron’s office was inundated with calls and emails. She said: "My staff have had over 900 messages to patrol - abuse, cyber bullying, calling me vile names and sending pictures of rape, suggesting I don’t support rape survivors when in fact I helped many trauma survivors in my NHS work". It is not difficult to imagine how difficult this has been for Mrs Cameron, a clinical psychologist, mother, and Chair of the Disability All Party Group in Parliament.
She said of the experience: "I think it is a very poor day when tolerance only goes in one direction. I am being told by local officials that voting according to my conscience on a free vote means I have no place being elected in the SNP. I find this outrageous, but I have to say it is also extremely sad for Scotland. Despite doing nothing wrong but vote according to my beliefs, I stand to be sacked and I am being cruelly targeted for abuse. I believe the party - from the very top - needs to take action in Lanarkshire to stamp out this kind of abusive, intolerant and bullying behaviour to which I have been mercilessly exposed."
John Deighan, Deputy CEO of SPUC, commented on the incident saying: "It greatly troubles me that Abortion advocates have radicalised politics in such a way that they have undermined our democracy. The persecution of an elected politician for voting in a way they don’t like exposes the depth of their intolerance. It's a disgraceful and unacceptable position that has been deliberately cultivated. Vilification is now routinely used as a tactic by pro-abortion advocates to crush debate and invite hateful attacks on those with a differing opinion. Those who believe in democracy need to expose the culprits responsible and defend genuine democratic values."
A place in politics for pro-lifers?
The world of politics is becoming increasingly hostile to those who hold the pro-life position and seek to protect unborn human lives. Pro-life politicians are made unwelcome within their parties and are made to feel unsafe in their places of work. This is not what civil political discourse looks like. How is democracy supposed to function when debate has descended into bullying and threats? If elected officials feel unsafe when they stand up for what they believe in, our democratic system will certainly fail.
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