Australian Federation of Right to Life Associations
Media Release
Pro-life representative ejected from conference
Spokesperson for the Australian Federation of Right to Life Associations, Nicola Pantos, was this morning ejected from the conference of the Abortion Providers’ Federation of Australasia being held at the Hyatt Regency in Coolum, Queensland.
Ms Pantos, a registered delegate at the conference, was attending as an observer, but was ejected as a "security risk".
"US late term abortionist Dr Warren Hern has been reported in the press as calling Australia a fascist police state because he was asked by immigration officials to agree not to incite illegal activity. I merely tried to listen to what Dr Hern had to say at a conference that I had paid to attend, and was escorted from the building by police", said Ms Pantos.
"I now really wonder what the abortion doctors were going to discuss that was so sensitive that they did not want anyone from outside the abortion industry to hear. Perhaps they realise that Australians don’t like abortions at six months.
"Dr Hern was due to speak about a number of issues including ‘induced foetal demise’ and ‘surgical evacuations in late term abortion’."
Ms Pantos commented that "another of the conference participants, Dr George Tiller from the United States, says on his website that he performs abortions up to 26 weeks, or over six months into a pregnancy. There are babies born prematurely who routinely survive at ages that are weeks younger than that."
Issued: Saturday, 13 November 1999
Contact: Nicola Pantos, spokesperson for the Australian Federation of Right to Life Associations, telephone 02 6253 3100.