Miranda Devine has thrown doubt on Vikki Campion’s claim she was told to get an abortion when she discovered she was pregnant with Barnaby Joyce’s baby.
Speaking out for the first time since the birth of her son Sebastian, Ms Campion revealed in a $150,000 interview on Sunday Night that she was pressured to terminate the pregnancy by ‘God fearing conservatives’.
‘They said “you’re pregnant, and you have to get an abortion”, and I said “it’s too late, it has a heartbeat” and they said “if you don’t , they’re going to come after you”,’ Ms Campion said.
Conservative columnist Miranda Devine questioned Ms Campion’s claim on Monday, saying: ‘I highly doubt that.’
Mr Joyce, 51, and his former media adviser spoke out about their affair on Channel Seven’s Sunday Night program with reporter Alex Cullen
‘This nefarious tale about people, dark forces in the government trying to kill the baby? I doubt that!’ she said.
‘That’s a very dramatic construction to put on it and I think it will send shock waves through the National Party.’
Political editor Chris Uhlmann said the claim was ‘breathtaking’ and called for the couple to reveal who was responsible.
‘Whoever it was that was telling Vikki that she needed to have an abortion is making an astonishing leap. One that they wouldn’t allow in almost any other circumstances. So that was the really breathtaking part for me,’ he said.
‘She doesn’t say who they are, and I think we need to know.
‘It might not have been parliamentarians, but now all Nationals have been tarred with this brush that someone in their ranks suggestion that someone have an abortion because [the pregnancy] would be inconvenient.’

Conservative columnist Miranda Devine questioned Ms Campion’s claim on Monday, saying: ‘I highly doubt that’

Ms Campion said she had been threatened by ‘conservatives’ within the National party to terminate her pregnancy
The couple controversially accepted a $150,000 sum from the Seven Network to tell their side of the political scandal.
After the interview aired, viewers slammed the ‘soft’ interview for failing to ask the tough questions.
‘No questions over rorting travel and dodgy $190 thousand jobs set up for Campion,’ one Twitter user said.
‘Once again Barnaby Joyce and Vikki Campion took this opportunity to play the victims. Woe is us.’
The pair also failed to answer when the pair’s professional relationship turned romantic.
Mr Joyce admitted he was good at averting the hard questions saying: ‘the good thing about being in politics for as long as I have, about twenty years, is that I know how to stop a question,’ he said.

Ms Campion said she considered getting an abortion and bought the medicine
Ms Devine also questioned Mr Joyce’s future career in politics and why he did not step down as soon as he discovered his staffer was pregnant.
‘Barnaby said he knew he would have to step down when the pregnancy test came back positive, well why prolong it?’ Ms Devine said.
‘Why not do that immediately rather than putting the Government through this political damage, and the country through this soap opera?
‘It would have been better for Vikki, the country, him and his four daughters.’
Ms Devine went on to say this was undoubtedly the end of Mr Joyce’s career in politics.
‘He was very derogatory about Canberra, Parliament House, the Government, Turnbull and his own National Party colleagues,’ she said.

‘He was very derogatory about Canberra, Parliament House, the Government, Turnbull and his own National Party colleagues,’ Ms Devine said
‘It looks like he’s angling to get out. Which is a great pity because he is a great politician, and he’s done a lot for the country, but this is something you cannot resuscitate from.’
Mr Uhlmann said Mr Joyce was a ‘very talented politician’ but was ‘deeply damaged at the moment’.
He said the best thing for his future career is that he and Ms Campion ‘stay silent for a long, long time’.
Ms Devine joined many viewers when she said she was disappointed with the lack of depth in the interview.
‘What about the matters of public interest that weren’t touched on at all?’ Gardener said.
‘Well exactly, that he moved her from office to office, all the stories we were asking about,’ Ms Devine said.

Vikki Campion said she was pressured to get an abortion by conservative politicians after falling pregnant with Barnaby Joyce’s baby (Pictured: baby Sebastian)

‘No questions over rorting travel and dodgy $190 thousand jobs set up for Campion,’ one Twitter user said