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| Zoe's law: Fred Nile accused of using death of foetus to further anti-abortion agenda | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Fred Nile has been accused of using the death of a foetus to further his own anti-abortion agenda by introducing a Zoe’s law bill without the consent of Zoe’s parents. | |
| The NSW Christian Democratic party MP last Thursday introduced crime amendment (Zoe’s law) bill 2015 to give personhood to a foetus. | The NSW Christian Democratic party MP last Thursday introduced crime amendment (Zoe’s law) bill 2015 to give personhood to a foetus. |
| Brodie Donegan was 32 weeks pregnant with Zoe when she was hit by a drugged driver on Christmas Day in 2009 and Zoe was stillborn because of the injuries from the accident. | Brodie Donegan was 32 weeks pregnant with Zoe when she was hit by a drugged driver on Christmas Day in 2009 and Zoe was stillborn because of the injuries from the accident. |
| Related: Zoe's law, the bill critics argued would put abortion rights at risk, fails to pass | Related: Zoe's law, the bill critics argued would put abortion rights at risk, fails to pass |
| Zoe was listed as one of Donegan’s injuries and Donegan has been campaigning ever since for the law to be changed to recognise the death of a foetus without the mother’s consent while in the act of committing a crime. | Zoe was listed as one of Donegan’s injuries and Donegan has been campaigning ever since for the law to be changed to recognise the death of a foetus without the mother’s consent while in the act of committing a crime. |
| Nile has introduced the bill with Zoe’s name on it which he said was not anti-abortion but was to protect “a woman’s unborn child”. | Nile has introduced the bill with Zoe’s name on it which he said was not anti-abortion but was to protect “a woman’s unborn child”. |
| “Nick [Brodie’s husband] and I are pretty pissed off again that he continually does this, despite how much we have said that he is doing so without consulting us. We weren’t sympathetic to his agenda, he is using our daughter to further his agenda,” Donegan said. | “Nick [Brodie’s husband] and I are pretty pissed off again that he continually does this, despite how much we have said that he is doing so without consulting us. We weren’t sympathetic to his agenda, he is using our daughter to further his agenda,” Donegan said. |
| “I wish he would just should shut up, if he wants something vaguely in that area he should just let us do what we want to do, he’s got no hope of getting his law through, no one in their right mind will support what he’s proposing. People know his agenda and know his beliefs.” | “I wish he would just should shut up, if he wants something vaguely in that area he should just let us do what we want to do, he’s got no hope of getting his law through, no one in their right mind will support what he’s proposing. People know his agenda and know his beliefs.” |
| This is the third version of the Zoe’s law bill. The first was introduced by Nile in 2013 without the blessing of the family. The bill was quickly shot down as an attempt to penalise abortion in NSW and Donegan spent months campaigning for her own version of the bill. | This is the third version of the Zoe’s law bill. The first was introduced by Nile in 2013 without the blessing of the family. The bill was quickly shot down as an attempt to penalise abortion in NSW and Donegan spent months campaigning for her own version of the bill. |
| Related: Zoe's law: I am pro-choice, but my daughter deserved to be recognised | Brodie Donegan | Related: Zoe's law: I am pro-choice, but my daughter deserved to be recognised | Brodie Donegan |
| Donegan, who is pro-choice, wanted a foetus to be given personhood in some circumstances once it reached 20 weeks or weighed 400g. However, the NSW Bar Association and the Australian Medical Association still found there was a risk of such a law inadvertently making abortion illegal in some cases. | Donegan, who is pro-choice, wanted a foetus to be given personhood in some circumstances once it reached 20 weeks or weighed 400g. However, the NSW Bar Association and the Australian Medical Association still found there was a risk of such a law inadvertently making abortion illegal in some cases. |
| Donegan’s bill passed NSW’s lower house in 2013 but was left to lapse without a vote in the upper house. | Donegan’s bill passed NSW’s lower house in 2013 but was left to lapse without a vote in the upper house. |
| Donegan said she is still determined to get a law change and has contacted premier Mike Baird’s office twice. She has not had a meeting with him but she has met with others interested in drafting the law. | Donegan said she is still determined to get a law change and has contacted premier Mike Baird’s office twice. She has not had a meeting with him but she has met with others interested in drafting the law. |
| “People are still worried about our [version of Zoe’s law], Fred Nile has no hope in hell, he is making us relive it every time and making us have to continually fight off conspiracy theories,” she said. | “People are still worried about our [version of Zoe’s law], Fred Nile has no hope in hell, he is making us relive it every time and making us have to continually fight off conspiracy theories,” she said. |
| “He does it for media attention and because people know Zoe’s law, or maybe it’s some stupid egotistical thought he is doing the right thing.” | “He does it for media attention and because people know Zoe’s law, or maybe it’s some stupid egotistical thought he is doing the right thing.” |
| In his speech introducing the bill last week, Nile said it was a “women’s rights” issue and cited Zoe as one of the examples of foetuses killed because of injury to the mother. | In his speech introducing the bill last week, Nile said it was a “women’s rights” issue and cited Zoe as one of the examples of foetuses killed because of injury to the mother. |
| “We regularly hear that men make decisions for women. Perhaps that is why this bill has not previously passed. After all, it is a bill for women’s rights,” he said. | “We regularly hear that men make decisions for women. Perhaps that is why this bill has not previously passed. After all, it is a bill for women’s rights,” he said. |
| “A bill to protect a woman’s unborn child, a child that she has decided to nurture and carry to full term, a child that she has bonded with while carrying it in the womb. Well, currently more than one-quarter of the members in this parliament are women. Perhaps now is the time to take a stand for women’s rights?” | “A bill to protect a woman’s unborn child, a child that she has decided to nurture and carry to full term, a child that she has bonded with while carrying it in the womb. Well, currently more than one-quarter of the members in this parliament are women. Perhaps now is the time to take a stand for women’s rights?” |
| Nile said the bill was not an anti-abortion bill and would not apply to any medical procedures. | Nile said the bill was not an anti-abortion bill and would not apply to any medical procedures. |
| “It only deals with cases where a pregnant woman is attacked by a violent person and the violent attack leads to the death of a child, it has nothing to do with medical procedures,” he told Guardian Australia. | “It only deals with cases where a pregnant woman is attacked by a violent person and the violent attack leads to the death of a child, it has nothing to do with medical procedures,” he told Guardian Australia. |
| Nile said he was unaware Donegan was upset by his use of Zoe’s name. | Nile said he was unaware Donegan was upset by his use of Zoe’s name. |
| “My practise is to use the baby’s name to make the point of protecting unborn babies, before Zoe it was Bronwyn ... and I’m happy to change Zoe to another baby’s name, I’ve had a number of mothers give me their permission and their babies names to use,” he said. | “My practise is to use the baby’s name to make the point of protecting unborn babies, before Zoe it was Bronwyn ... and I’m happy to change Zoe to another baby’s name, I’ve had a number of mothers give me their permission and their babies names to use,” he said. |
| “If it’s upsetting Mrs Donegan I’m very, very sorry.” | “If it’s upsetting Mrs Donegan I’m very, very sorry.” |
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