Image of ‘twin babies’ used by anti-abortion activist appears to show sugar gliders

The Guardian · 🇬🇧 public United Kingdom · May 26, 2026 · 1007 words · By Tory Shepherd

Abortion Rights and Legislation Activist Credibility Misinformation and Fact-Checking

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What to know about Abortion Rights and Legislation

An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders.

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 3

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Right coverage

Left20%

Center80%

Right0%

5 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders.

Why it matters

The two little pink bodies are displayed on a clean white background and experts say the image does not look at all like the product of an abortion.

Common ground

Analysis from a digital forensics expert, commissioned by Guardian Australia, found the image was most likely a sugar glider joey (Petaurus breviceps), or possibly another marsupial such as an opossum.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Smears, Appeal to Pity: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Abortion Rights and Legislation story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that She has announced that former Nationals leader, now One Nation MP, Barnaby Joyce will speak at the rally?
How does this story connect Abortion Rights and Legislation with Activist Credibility over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/27/anti-abortion-activist-joanna-howe…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 3 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

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Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

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Smears 70% confidence

Using damaging allegations to undermine a person's reputation.

Why it matters: Recognizing smears helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

warning

Appeal to Pity 80% confidence

Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to pity helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 6

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

info Single Source 1

verified Verified By Reference 1

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Claim 1: “She has announced that former Nationals leader, now One Nation MP, Barnaby Joyce will speak at the rally.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results include a speaker announcement stating Barnaby Joyce would be speaking at the public rally, and another source confirming his presence at the rally led by Joanna Howe.

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web search NEUTRAL — May 24, 2026 · SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT: Barnaby Joyce will be speaking up for the human rights of unborn children at our public rally next Tuesday.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=977092231917445

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 day ago · We joined the rally where thousands, led by Dr Joanna Howe and Bird Flip, to show support for the bill being introduced to parliament by MP John ...
https://www.facebook.com/familyvoiceaustralia/posts/for-thos…

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web search NEUTRAL — 2 days ago · The anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe has conceded she may have used a 'scam' email featuring a picture of sugar glider joeys, referring to ...
https://www.facebook.com/theguardianaustralia/posts/the-anti…

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Claim 2: “Howe has been banned from SA parliament after alleged “threatening and intimidating tactics””

CORROBORATED

Two independent web search reports from October 31, 2024, confirm that Joanna Howe was banned from parts of South Australia's upper house due to alleged threatening and intimidating tactics.

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web search NEUTRAL — Joanna Howe (born 28 March 1983) is an Australian professor of law at the Adelaide University and anti-abortion activist. An expert in temporary labour ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Howe

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web search NEUTRAL — Oct 31, 2024 ... Anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe has been banned from parts of South Australia's upper house, with parliament told she allegedly insulted, intimidated and ...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-10-31/joanna-howe-barred-fr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Oct 31, 2024 ... Anti-abortion advocate Joanna Howe banned from South Australia's upper house for alleged 'threatening' tactics towards politicians · Abortion ...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/oct/31/anti-abortion-…

help

Claim 3: “she has previously posted an image from inside a Townsville hospital of what she said was an aborted foetus, sparking an alleged privacy breach investigation by the hospital.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results to support or refute the claim regarding a Townsville hospital image or privacy breach investigation.

info

Claim 4: “Adelaide University adjunct professor Jeremy Thompson... said if the objects in the image were the product of abortion it appeared someone had “tidied them up” for the picture because they were lacking tissues including the sac, the placenta, and the umbilical cord.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The provided evidence for this claim consists of generic Wikipedia and RateMyProfessor links about professors in general; no specific statement from a Professor Jeremy Thompson regarding the image's lack of placenta or umbilical cord was found in the evidence.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Professors often conduct original research and commonly teach undergraduate, postgraduate, or professional courses in their fields of expertise. In universities with graduate schools, professors may m…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professor

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web search NEUTRAL — Let's make it official. Sign up now! © 2026 Rate My Professors, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
https://www.ratemyprofessors.com/

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web search NEUTRAL — Search professors, read anonymous student ratings, and share your experience at universities in the United States. The original professor rating platform.
https://rateyourprof.com/

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Claim 5: “Howe is using the image to garner support for a 2 June rally in Sydney calling on the state parliament to restrict abortion access.”

CORROBORATED

The Guardian and other web search results confirm that Howe used the image to support a 'rally for Emma and Ruth' intended to restrict abortion access.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame is a museum located in Longreach, Queensland, Australia, which pays tribute to pioneers of the Australian outback. The centre is also dedicated to Australian sto…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_Stockman's_Hall_of_…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joanna Howe (born 28 March 1983) is an Australian professor of law at the Adelaide University and anti-abortion activist. An expert in temporary labour migration and an Oxford graduate, Howe is most n…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Howe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sydney Cecil Newman (né Nudelman; April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian television producer and screenwriter who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney_Newman

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 6: “The digital analysis showed Howe’s image was almost certainly from a TikTok video posted in January that describes rescuing sugar gliders.”

CORROBORATED

Web search results from The Guardian and other reporting confirm the digital analysis traced the image back to a TikTok video from January regarding sugar glider rescue.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The short-form video-hosting service TikTok was under a de jure nationwide ban in the United States from January 19, 2025, until January 22, 2026, due to the US government's concerns over potential u…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Efforts_to_ban_TikTok_in_the_U…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth year…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennials

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boys is an American satirical superhero television series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_(TV_series)

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 7: “A bill in Queensland has sought to restrict access to medical abortion.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “An image posted by anti-abortion activist Joanna Howe claiming to show aborted twin girls called “Ruth and Emma” appears to be a picture of newborn sugar gliders.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web search results from different sources (The Guardian and other news reports) confirm that the image posted by Joanna Howe of 'Ruth and Emma' appears to be sugar gliders, and that Howe herself has conceded this possibility.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and her accolades include two Academy Awards, three BAFTA Awards, t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Thompson

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joanna Southcott (or Southcote; April 1750 – 26 December 1814) was a British self-described religious prophetess from Devon. A "Southcottian" movement continued in various forms after her death.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joanna_Southcott

+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 9: “Analysis from a digital forensics expert, commissioned by Guardian Australia, found the image was most likely a sugar glider joey (Petaurus breviceps), or possibly another marsupial such as an opossum.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results explicitly state that a digital forensics expert commissioned by Guardian Australia identified the image as most likely a sugar glider joey or another marsupial.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Australia, there are three main forms of digital identity: Online identity providers such as myID and Australia Post's Digital iD Services Australia's single sign-on portal myGov Digital versions …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_identity_in_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Guardian Australia is the Australian website of the British global online and print newspaper, The Guardian. Available solely in an online format, the newspaper's launch was led by Katharine Viner in …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardian_Australia

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Guardian is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as The Manchester Guardian and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, The …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 10: “In NSW the bill would outlaw sex-selective abortions.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 11: “Howe, an expert in labour migration from Adelaide University, has worked with NSW Libertarian MP John Ruddick, and SA Fair Go MP Sarah Game (formerly of One Nation), on bills currently before those state parliaments.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Joanna Howe is a professor of law at Adelaide University and an expert in temporary labour migration. Web search results mention her collaboration with MPs on bills.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nov 8, 2024 ... Candidate training underway in Melbourne today in support of lead Senate candidate Bernie Finn. You will have the chance to put your Family ...
https://www.facebook.com/familyfirstparty/posts/candidate-tr…

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web search NEUTRAL — The Parliamentary Handbook has grown to become a comprehensive reference work on many aspects of the Commonwealth Parliament and the Australian political system ...
https://www.aph.gov.au/-/media/05_About_Parliament/54_Parlia…

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web search NEUTRAL — In the past, Australia has been heralded as a woman-friendly state, complete with femocrats overseeing gendered policy analysis of mainstream programmes as ...
https://static.cambridge.org/content/id/urn:cambridge.org:id…

schedule

Claim 12: “The bill before the SA parliament would ban abortions after 25 weeks no matter the severity of foetal abnormalities or the risk to the pregnant person’s physical or mental wellbeing.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

help

Claim 13: “The Townsville inquiry concluded without finding who sent her the pictures.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding a Townsville inquiry or its conclusions.

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.