From the e-mail updates sent by LifeSiteNews.com: Australia's protection against the deadly abortion drug RU-486 came to an end yesterday, as the House of Representatives voted to remove control of the drug from Health Minister Tony Abbott.For the past ten years, Australia's health minister has held veto power over the drug. Mr. Abbott, a Roman Catholic strongly opposed to abortion, has kept it out of the country. A private member's bill to strip him of that control was raised in the house, and voted in by the Senate almost two weeks ago.
Control of the drug will now pass to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). It has been suggested that chemical abortions will begin in Australia as early as next year...
...Despite this, abortion advocates are celebrating yesterday's vote as a victory for women to have "safe terminations." The four female senators who sponsored the bill have said this is only the beginning of their efforts to address women's reproductive health issues.
Opposition to abortion among the general public is growing in Australia. A recent poll showed 87% of the general population would like to see a reduction in the number of abortions performed in the country. Australia has one of the highest abortion rates in the world - almost one quarter of all Australian pregnancies end in abortion.
