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 CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - A governing party lawmaker who described a childless political opponent as "deliberately barren" faced further condemnation Thursday, as opponents agreed he struck a nerve among women facing tradeoffs between family and career.
Bill Heffernan weathered criticism from across the political spectrum for a second day after he criticized Julia Gillard, a lawmaker from the opposition Labor Party, over her decision not to have children.
Heffernan, a senator in Prime Minister John Howard's center-right Liberal Party and a friend of the Australian leader, argued that without children, Gillard lacked the community understanding required for leaders. Heffernan later apologized.
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