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Katy Gallagher has sidestepped questions from Senator Pauline Hanson and denied prior knowledge of the Aborted Baby Bonus scandal. However, The Daily Declaration has proof she was informed weeks ago.

Senator Pauline Hanson has accused Minister for Women and Government Services Katy Gallagher of evading accountability after revelations that Australian women who deliberately abort their unborn babies beyond 20 weeks can claim up to $22,754 in taxpayer-funded benefits.

The controversy erupted during Senate Question Time on Tuesday, where Gallagher was pressed repeatedly but declined to either confirm or deny that elective late-term abortions are eligible for the Stillborn Baby Payment and Paid Parental Leave.

Why is the Albanese government handing out $4,326 stillborn baby payments to women who choose to have a late-term abortion?

A stillborn baby is a tragedy, not a choice. Yet under current rules, women who abort a baby at 20 weeks or more, are possibly eligible for a… pic.twitter.com/fEqcVmU3AQ

— Pauline Hanson 🇦🇺 (@PaulineHansonOz) August 26, 2025

At issue is a letter dated 2 July 2025 from Gallagher’s own office confirming that these benefits apply even in cases of “intentional abortion.”

The correspondence, signed by a top bureaucrat serving under Gallagher, states clearly that Services Australia’s definition of stillbirth includes late-term abortions. This enables access to either a lump sum Stillborn Baby Payment of $4,326 or the alternative Paid Parental Leave scheme worth up to $22,754 for women who choose to abort.

Though Gallagher’s own office issued the confirmation, she avoided giving a direct answer on it in Parliament.

“There are laws in this country around termination of pregnancy,” she responded, before diverting to the point that abortion law rests with states and territories — an issue Hanson had not raised.

Gallagher noted that documentation from attending health professionals is required before any payment is made but did not respond to Hanson’s concern that the rules allow deliberately aborted babies to be treated as stillborn for the lucrative payments.

Hanson argued the policy risks encouraging late-term abortions “up to the day before birth.”

Adding fuel to the dispute, Gallagher told the Senate that the matter “has not been raised with me outside of this chamber.” Yet weeks earlier, on 29 July, an inquiry from The Daily Declaration attaching the very letter in question had been sent to her office.

The email asked Gallagher to confirm the document’s authenticity and invited her comment. The Daily Declaration did not receive a response.

Aussie women aborting past 20 weeks can claim up to $22k in taxpayer-funded benefits.

Senator Katy Gallagher claimed Tuesday this issue “has not been raised with me outside this chamber.”

False — I emailed her office on 29 July with the confirming letter.

She never replied. pic.twitter.com/0DcEi6HNLh

— Kurt Mahlburg (@k_mahlburg) August 29, 2025

Pro-life advocate Dr Joanna Howe also challenged Gallagher’s plea of ignorance, noting that with front-page media coverage, millions of social media views, and numerous letters and emails from Australians contacting her office, “how can this be the first time she’s had concerns raised with her about the Stillborn Parenting Payment?”

A Growing National Backlash

The ‘Aborted Baby Bonus’ scandal has provoked widespread concern from pro-life advocates.

Dr Howe, who is a University of Adelaide professor and a long-time campaigner against late-term abortion, described Senator Gallagher’s answers as “word salad” that concealed the truth.

In a recent email to supporters, Howe said the Albanese government is “incentivising late-term abortions through exorbitant cash payments from schemes that were never intended to be used for the intentional killing of a child.”

Howe has launched a petition calling for the loophole to be closed. It has already attracted more than 53,000 signatures and continues to gain momentum.

According to Howe, using taxpayer funds to reward intentional abortions represents a betrayal of Australian families who expect parental benefits to honour life, not death.

Senator Hanson’s blunt questioning also drew national attention to the brutal reality of late-term abortion. She asked in the Senate, “Why is the Albanese government funding the murder of healthy babies, some left to die in a kidney dish for up to five hours?” These facts, though rarely acknowledged in mainstream politics, highlight the deep moral and ethical stakes of the policy.

Gallagher’s Portfolio Oversight

The Aborted Baby Bonus controversy lands squarely in Gallagher’s area of responsibility. As Minister for Finance and Government Services, she oversees Centrelink and Services Australia. In her role as Minister for Women, she also carries direct influence over programs affecting mothers.

Gallagher is a long-time member of EMILY’s List, a pro-abortion political network that has backed her career. Candidates supported by the group must pledge to advance its pro-abortion agenda if elected.

Gallagher’s pro-abortion affiliations appeared to shape her response when she was challenged on the issue in Parliament.

When Senator Hanson asked, “Will the Albanese government work with One Nation to close this appalling loophole and ensure these taxpayer-funded payments are reserved for genuine cases of stillbirth, not for late-term abortions carried out by choice?” Gallagher reiterated her support for existing abortion laws, again evading the core issue of late-term abortion payments and offering no indication of any intention to close the policy loophole.

Late-Term Abortions in Australia

The scandal has surfaced amid rising concern about the number of late-term abortions being performed in Australia.

In South Australia, the legalisation of abortion up to birth in 2022 coincided with a sharp rise in late-term abortions. SA Health data show 105 late-term abortions occurred between 2022 and 2024, a 380 per cent increase from the 22 cases recorded in 2021. Only one of these was performed to save the life of the mother, while most involved healthy babies.

In Victoria, official figures reveal that nearly half of all late-term abortions take place in non-emergency situations, with “psychosocial reasons” often cited.

Medical staff are also speaking out. Reports from midwives describe being traumatised by abortion procedures and pressured to sign Centrelink paperwork enabling the payments. One account shared with Dr Howe told of a woman planning to use her Stillborn Baby Payment to fund a holiday, leaving hospital staff distressed by the policy’s callousness.

The Daily Declaration is still awaiting a response from both Senator Gallagher and EMILY’s List Australia.

The national media is yet to report on the leaked letter or Gallagher’s evasion of the issue.

Dr Howe’s petition calling on the Albanese government to stop offering Centrelink payments for the late-term abortion of healthy babies can be signed here.

If you’re facing an unplanned pregnancy or grieving an abortion, help is available.