Foreign Group Tries to Change Australia's Abortion Laws
A Spanish organization called CitizenGo is working with Australian politicians to restrict abortion access across the country.
CitizenGo is a conservative group that started in Spain ten years ago. The organization claims to have 20 million members around the world. They work to change laws about abortion and LGBTQ+ rights. European politicians have raised concerns about where CitizenGo gets its money.
The group is now active in Australia and is on the government's foreign influence register. They work with former politicians like George Christensen and Christopher Yates. CitizenGo uses online petitions to try to change policies they don't like. Their petitions in Australia have gotten thousands of signatures but haven't changed any laws yet.
Researchers say CitizenGo is part of a growing network of conservative groups. These groups work together on different issues to attract more supporters. Dr. Lucy Hamilton warns that this creates packages of ideas that could threaten Australian safety. The groups are becoming more active as populist movements grow stronger worldwide.
The greatest liberty is the right to life.
Comprehension quiz preview
1. When was CitizenGo founded?
2. In which country did CitizenGo start?
3. How many members does CitizenGo claim to have worldwide?