Barnaby Joyce rallies anti-abortion activists ahead of tight NSW vote

Sydney crowd told to target National MPs as upper house prepares to vote on a bill outlawing sex-selective terminations Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast One Nation’s Barnaby Joyce has joined anti-abortion campaigners to pile pressure on Nationals MPs to vote to criminalise some abortions ahead of a tight vote in New South Wales. Anti-abortion activists have threatened to campaign for One Nation against major parties to force new limits on terminating pregnancies on the back of its polling surge. Introduced to chants of “Nats must act,” Joyce addressed a rally against “sex-selective” abortions outside NSW parliament on Tuesday night. “You must keep that fire burning for those people who can’t stand up for themselves, and I call them people, they’re not foetuses,” Joyce said. “They are people.” “Politically, does this make you popular? Nup, nup. Probably lose half the votes every time you do it. But you know why you do it? Because it’s the right thing to do.” Joyce encouraged the crowd to campaign against sitting politicians on abortion. “The one thing politicians fear is losing their job,” Joyce said.