In Sunday’s ‘tell-all’ interview on Channel Seven with Barnaby Joyce and his new partner Vikki Campion the pair broached the subject of abortion on both a personal level and professional.
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They admitted there was pressure from parliamentary colleagues to terminate the pregnancy.
Ms Campion told interview Alex Cullen “they” told her she had to get an abortion.
"So they came to me. They said, 'You're pregnant. You have to get an abortion.' And I said, 'You know, it's too late. It has a heartbeat.' And they said, 'If you don't, they're gonna come after you,’” she said.
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“And they did,” Mr Joyce added.
Mr Cullen asked the pair to specify who ‘they’ were. Neither would elaborate.
Mr Joyce, however, went on.
"That's the absolute scum of the earth, people that you can involve yourself with, dark and horrible, inside that mad boarding school,” he said.
“...and their contribution to it is they're gonna try and make an incredibly difficult situation almost unbearable, by saying to you that, 'Woman, you will do this if you want a career in this place.' And that's, that's your Australian Parliament."
That's the absolute scum of the earth, people that you can involve yourself with, dark and horrible, inside that mad boarding school.
- Barnaby Joyce.
Despite her lovers’ public disapproval of abortions, Ms Campion considered terminating her baby.
“I took the pregnancy test and that was it. We both realised we had a complex situation right now,” she said.
Mr Joyce has been outwardly disapproves of abortion.
“I don’t believe in abortion. I just knew straight away I was going to lose my job as deputy prime minister. All I was doing was hoping and praying for a healthy baby,” he said.
Ms Campion said she considered taking the matter “into my own hands.”
“...by considering abortion. I tried, and I couldn’t go through with that. I bought the medicine online, you can’t do it in the ACT, I bought the medicine online and I walked in and walked out again,” she said.
Mr Joyce said he wouldn’t have judged her on that decision.
“I’m never going to accuse anyone of making that decision, I understand people are under pressure, Vikki more than most. I can’t enforce my views on other people,” he said.
Ms Campion continued.
“I thought I had two options. If I could have an abortion I could move overseas and try and forget everything that had happened. But I couldn’t do it. I wrote to my two closest girlfriends from high school. I said I think I’m going to be doing this by myself, it’s a miracle I was pregnant in the first place,” she said.
“I was told by doctors that I wouldn’t have children. I also considered adoption so he could have a normal life.”
Grace Ryan
Deputy Editor at the Central Western Daily, Orange. You'll mostly find me tinkering in social media and newsletters. Working hard to get our stories in front of your eyes.
Deputy Editor at the Central Western Daily, Orange. You'll mostly find me tinkering in social media and newsletters. Working hard to get our stories in front of your eyes.
