This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Labor has hit back at the “baseless lies” of an anti-abortion campaign group targeting it in seven key marginal seats.

The Cherish Life campaign claims “more babies would die under a Bill Shorten Labor government” and accuses Labor of an “extreme late-term abortion agenda”.

In March Labor pledged to work towards full decriminalisation of abortion, open a reproductive health clinic to offer terminations in Tasmania, and require public hospitals to provide termination services.

Labor's abortion policy: all the issues explained Read more

The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he did not think a political discussion about abortion would be “good for our country”.

Cherish Life – a Queensland pro-life group – is urging voters to put Labor last using digital ads and leaflets in the seats of Lindsay, Macquarie and Gilmore in New South Wales, Dickson, Forde and Petrie in Queensland, and Cowan in Western Australia.

The executive director of Cherish Life, Teeshan Johnson, has advertised her support for the Liberal party with an “I stand with Scott [Morrison]” filter on her Facebook profile.

Cherish Life has posted speeches from Liberal senator Amanda Stoker on its Facebook page, and Liberal National party MP George Christensen has addressed events, including the March for Life in September.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Cherish Life anti-abortion flyer. Photograph: Australian Labor party

Labor’s deputy leader and spokeswoman for women, Tanya Plibersek, said: “Scott Morrison said recently that women’s reproductive health was too divisive to discuss during the election. Apparently his Liberal party supporters at Cherish Life don’t agree.”

She said the claims on the flyers were “complete rubbish”.

“This group is stuffing people’s letterboxes and clogging up social media with baseless lies,” she said.

“All Australian women should have access to health services where and when they need them. Reproductive choices and access to basic health care are fundamental rights.”

Labor has also questioned whether Cherish Life was required by electoral laws to register as a “political campaigner” group, because it may spend more than $100,000 on the campaign, the threshold for registration.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Another Cherish Life anti-abortion flyer. Photograph: Australian Labor party

An AEC spokesman confirmed Cherish Life had not registered as a “political campaigner” group. He said “third parties” were not required to register with the AEC, but must submit a return by 17 November if they spend more than $13,800 on electoral communications in the previous financial year.

Although some social media posts on Twitter and Facebook did not contain authorisations, the spokesman said if Cherish Life was not a third party or political campaigner “the posts do not need to be authorised under the Electoral Act”.

Cherish Life did not respond to requests for comment, but on its Facebook page it has defended the campaign: “We’re not asking people to vote for anyone in particular but we’re most definitely asking them to put Labor & Greens last.

“Labor & Greens are both hideous on life issues. No matter who people vote for it will be either Scott Morrison or Bill Shorten as [prime minister] so preferences are vitally important, for the sake of unborn lives & women – Labor must be kept out of government.”