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Facebook poll for Shooter's abortion vote

A Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP has created a Facebook poll to determine what way he will vote on proposed laws providing safe zones around abortion clinics.

NSW Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party MP Philip Donato.
Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Philip Donato has created an online poll on abortion clinic laws. (AAP)

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Source: AAP


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Don't know which way to vote on a controversial policy affecting women in NSW? Ask Facebook.

Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Philip Donato has set up a poll on the social media website to determine which way he will vote on a bill to provide safe access zones around NSW abortion clinics.

The proposed laws will provide a 150-metre exclusion zone around clinics and make it an offence to film staff and patients without their consent.

Meanwhile, it's understood former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce has been lobbying some National MPs to vote down the bill.

It comes after his partner and former staffer Vikki Campion claimed in a paid TV interview that she was pressured by conservatives in federal parliament to have an abortion.

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Mr Joyce's office declined to comment.

The bill passed NSW parliament's upper house in May and is expected to be debated in the lower house on Thursday.

While government MPs have been given a conscience vote, Mr Donato has turned to his electorate and social media for inspiration.

He posted a poll to his Facebook page on Tuesday night with two options, 'support bill' and 'oppose bill'.

"I believe this is a matter of conscience and the views of my electorate should supersede my own," Mr Donato said in the post.

As Wednesday afternoon, the Facebook poll had received 11,000 votes, with 76 per cent of respondents supporting the bill.

While some people praised Mr Donato for taking the issue to his constituents, others weren't happy.

"A poll to decide if women have the right to their own bodies. 2018 ladies and gentlemen," Monica Luppi commented.

Labor MP Penny Sharpe, who introduced the bill to parliament earlier this year, encouraged people to take part in the vote.

"I would encourage everyone in the Central West who thinks that women should be able to go to the doctor with privacy and without interference to support the poll and encourage Mr Donato to vote for the bill," Ms Sharpe told AAP.

Despite being directed at constituents of Orange, the Facebook poll has no geographical restrictions on who can vote, prompting a wave of respondents from other areas.

One voter, who tagged friends in the poll to vote, said while she was originally from the electorate, some of her friends live in Sydney.

"I think that the poll is silly as it turns it into an abortion issue and this debate is not an abortion issue but rather safe and confidential access to sexual health care," the voter told AAP.


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