Abortion rights are at the forefront of the upcoming Western Australia election, with Liberal leader Libby Mettam sidestepping inquiries regarding a fellow candidate’s views on reproductive rights. Amanda-Sue Markham, a Liberal candidate for the Legislative Council, previously opposed the decriminalisation of abortion in Tasmania back in 2013 and faced controversy in 2021 when she was not permitted to discuss homosexuality, following remarks from her husband suggesting gay men could be “cleansed” and “healed.”
Mettam declined to comment on Markham’s position on women’s rights to choose, instead deflecting the question by accusing Labor leader Roger Cook of trying to shift focus from his government’s shortcomings. In contrast, the Labor Party is leveraging the issue by proposing a new abortion facility in Cockburn, should they win the election. Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson highlighted that the centre could provide approximately 4,500 terminations annually.
This political discourse illustrates the differing approaches to women’s reproductive rights that could significantly influence the election outcome.