New Zealanders supported removing abortion from the Crimes Act and modernising the law by 3 to 1. So, Muller is already on the hard side of New Zealand conservatism in voting against it.

But his votes on abortion were far more hardline than you might realise (1/9)

In the committee stage, MPs can vote on proposed edits to a Bill. On the abortion Bill, Muller voted for all nearly all the proposed anti-choice amendments. And there was so extreme stuff in there. A lot of these ideas weren't even supported by other anti-choice MPs. (2/9)

Muller voted to:
- Make it harder to get medical approval for an abortion (SOP460)
- Remove safe areas from places where abortions are conducted (SOP464)
- Require providers to consider the attitude of a woman's ethnic/religious community towards abortion (SOP466) (3/9)

- Require providers to consider the views of Māori women's whānau, hapū, and iwi when deciding whether to provide an abortion (SOP467)
- Remove a requirement that medical practitioners who object to conducting abortions at least tell the woman where she can one (SOP469) (4/9)

-Make it illegal for a provider not to hire someone who opposes abortions (SOP469)
-Require a woman to reveal how many previous live births & abortions she's had (SOP480)
-Make it illegal to abort a fetus with deformities or genetic abnormalities, even fatal ones (SOP479) (5/9)

- Remove the right for a girl under 16 to choose an abortion without parental consent (SOP463)
- Misleadingly rename the Bill the Abortion (Liberalisation post-20 weeks) Legislation Bill 2019 (6/9)

He voted against requiring DHBs and Health to provide emergency contraception (SOP472/476) and against practitioners with an objection to performing abortions having to tell the woman where the closest provider is (SOP483) (7/9)

He also voted for a series of amendments that seem intended to have a chilling effect on providers (I'm no expert on abortion reform, but reading through the Parliamentary debates, there were some really nasty undertones to some amendments that I missed just reading them) (8/9)

National's 'liberals' have certainty chosen a very hardline conservative to be their stalking horse.

Somehow, I don't think that's going to appeal to moderate voters.

But, hey, they go their promotions. (9/9)