Australia's parliament takes regulatory control of an abortion drug away from the health minister.

Abbott stripped of RU486 veto power
From: AAP
February 16, 2006

FEDERAL parliament has voted to strip Health Minister Tony Abbott of his control over the abortion drug RU486 after hours of emotional debate.

In a rare conscience vote, MPs have backed a Bill which overturns an effective ban on the drug.
The vote was carried on the voices – with no official count taken because no one called for a division.

But Liberal backbencher Malcolm Turnbull asked that his vote in favour of the Bill be recorded.

Immediately before the vote, MPs voted down an amendment proposed by Liberal backbencher Andrew Laming by 90 votes to 56.

The vote was a disappointment for Mr Abbott and Prime Minister John Howard, who had argued for the status quo to be maintained.

But Treasurer Peter Costello and Opposition Leader Kim Beazley were among the MPs who voted to give the power of approval over RU486 to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).
MPs had earlier voted down amendments proposed by Liberal backbenchers Jackie Kelly and Dr Laming, which would have given parliament a say in the approval process.

The RU486 debate was the most emotional in federal Parliament since the euthanasia debate in 1996, as MPs and ministers shared their personal experiences with unplanned or traumatic pregnancies.

Mr Abbott made a last-minute plea for votes against the Bill, saying Australia's abortion rate was seen by some as "almost ... a badge of liberation from old oppressions".

But Mr Howard warned that any man taking part in the debate had to remember that it was a very sensitive issue, particularly for women who have had an abortion.

"No man who enters a debate of this kind should forget that and should not lightly pass over the trauma that would face any woman who decided on a termination of pregnancy," Mr Howard said.

The vote does not mean that RU486, which allows women to have abortions without surgery, will become available immediately.

A doctor will have to apply to the TGA for permission to use the drug.

The TGA will conduct its own tests before making a ruling.

If it chooses to allow the drug's use, it will impose terms and conditions for that use.

RU486 also may be used to treat some forms of cancer, including brain tumours.

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