Australia Pro-Life Group Gathers 75,000 Signatures Against Abortion Drug 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
January 30, 2006
Canberra, Australia (LifeNews.com) — A signature gathering drive in churches across Australia paid big dividends for groups opposed to legalizing the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug in the island nation. Organizers had hoped for thousands of signatures and were overwhelmed by the outpouring of response.
Australians Against RU 486 organized the petition campaign in more than 500 churches and received 75,000 signatures as a result.
Simone Holzapfel, the president of the group said she thinks the strong response backs up polling from her group showing 60 percent of Australians oppose introducing the drug there.
She indicated the letters "will confirm the poll released last Monday, that showed 60% of Australian women are opposed" to the Australian parliament voting for the drug.
The letters will be sent to MPs and express opposition to the drug, which has caused the deaths of women in the United States, Canada, Sweden and elsewhere.
"We’re pleased with the amount of public support — greater than we expected given the time of year. It indicated that there’s a significant feeling in the community," she told CNS News.
The group is now launching a new ad campaign and will be testifying before the parliament committee that has been looking further into legalizing the drug.
The drug is not banned in Australia but requires approval from pro-life Health Minister Tony Abbott before it can be used. Abbot, after consulting with the nation’s top doctor last year, declined approving it.
Pro-abortion MPs are sponsoring legislation that would transfer the decision-making from Abbott to the Therapeutic Goods Administration and another measure requiring the drug to be approved.
A parliament committee has been studying the issue and has received about 5,000 letters so far. All but about 150 of them are from pro-life advocates who oppose the abortion drug.
A vote on the pro-abortion plan is slated for February 8, but could be pushed back.
Related web sites:
Australians Against RU 486 – https://www.aaru486.com.au
