Controversial Bingo Game Sparks Investigation in South Australia
South Australia's attorney general has taken the unusual step of referring an anti-abortion activist's controversial fundraising game for official investigation. The move comes after law professor Joanna Howe launched a bingo card-style game during emotionally charged parliamentary debates about late-pregnancy abortion legislation.
The 'Bingo Card' Fundraiser That Caused Outrage
Howe, an academic from the University of Adelaide who has previously collaborated with conservative politicians to introduce bills limiting abortion rights, described the game as a fundraiser for an anti-abortion war chest. Dubbed Sarah's Game, the initiative encouraged supporters to purchase words and phrases that Howe claimed exposed the predictable language used by pro-abortion politicians.
The controversial game featured expressions such as between a woman and her doctor, misinformation and/or disinformation, trust the experts and Trumpian-style politics. Although Howe initially stated it would be accessible only through a private link, the game remained publicly available until Thursday morning.
Parliamentary Backlash and Emotional Debate
The game's launch coincided with South Australia's legislative council preparing to debate a bill that would have rolled back access to abortion later in pregnancy. The proposed legislation was ultimately defeated by 11 votes to eight, with several members of the legislative council becoming visibly distressed and tearful during the proceedings.
Greens MLC Robert Simms told parliament the game trivialised the serious debate and debased the parliamentary process. Independent MLC Tammy Franks expressed horror that Howe was charging people to participate in a game centred on abortion access. This is not an episode of Black Mirror. This is literally something that happened in SA, Franks told parliament.
Franks further criticised Howe for excluding words relating to circumstances where people would lose abortion access under the proposed legislation, specifically mentioning rape, incest, sexual slavery and girls. She also revealed that Howe had become one of the state's top social media advertisers, spending thousands on Meta platforms to spread her messages.
Political Connections and Previous Controversies
Howe worked with former One Nation MLC Sarah Game, now an independent, on the defeated legislation and appeared alongside her at the press conference announcing its introduction. Game later told InDaily she had not heard about the bingo game until after its launch and did not feel strongly about it.
This isn't Howe's first encounter with controversy surrounding abortion legislation. The academic has previously been banned from state parliament following allegations of threatening and intimidating tactics during debates over an earlier late-term abortion bill. Howe has denied any wrongdoing and stated she would challenge the ban.
In the lead-up to that previous debate, Howe collaborated with Liberal MLC Ben Hood on legislation that would have required women seeking abortions after 27 weeks and six days to instead give birth. During those heated discussions, Howe labelled female opponents members of the Baby Killers Club, and recently added those who opposed the 2025 bill to that group, using distorted, artificially generated images of them.
National Anti-Abortion Campaigning
Howe has become increasingly prominent in anti-abortion campaigning across Australia in recent years. She organised a rally in New South Wales in May featuring former prime minister Tony Abbott and has cultivated relationships with numerous politicians.
One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts promoted her petition on Priya's law, while party leader Pauline Hanson has visited Howe at home and appeared on her YouTube channel. Coalition senators Matt Canavan and Alex Antic have participated in press conferences with Howe regarding anti-abortion bills, with Antic frequently appearing in her social media content and at rallies she has organised.
Howe claims on YouTube that her movement can take full credit for putting later abortion on the national agenda, noting that several politicians spoke out against abortion access after she posted about Priya's law.
The game's top prize of dinner with Howe and her furniture designer husband, James, has now been referred to appropriate authorities by SA Attorney General Kyam Maher. Guardian Australia has contacted the Department of Consumer and Business Affairs for further details about the investigation, while Howe has been approached for comment.
On Instagram, Howe responded to the controversy by stating that as predicted the left is melting down over our game. Meanwhile, MPs opposed to anti-abortion legislation have reported receiving abuse and death threats from third parties following controversies generated by Howe's campaigns.
