Well, there we have it folks - the Australian Democrats still exist. I was starting to wonder though because there has not been a peep out of them since the last election.

Sightings of them were rarer than Big Foot.

But then Lyn Allison and Andrew Bartlett pop up with articles on OLO within days of each other.

t.u.s

The article seems pretty sound to me.
However, I must say that it would be good if people were given a bit of encouragement to minimise risks that might bring on medical intervention:
Why should our taxes be syphoned off to provide medical expenses for people with health problems because they insisted on smoking?
Or for people who developed diabetes and a host of other associated complaints, basically because they wilfully disregarded an appropriate diet, and also neglected exercise?
Or for those undoubted risk-takers, bunjee-jumpers and jockeys in horse-races?
If we are going to be niggardly, why single out one small element of the risk-taking horde?

Thank you for giving me the chance to sign the petition.

As for side effects, nothing I have done in my reproductive life is without them; sex, pregnancy, birth, miscarriage, abortion, the pill, condoms, IUDs, you name it, they've all had side effects or consequences. I kind of take that as part of being a woman with a sex life. I believe even celibacy has side effects. And life itself is a sexually transmitted terminal disease.

Good article. It is ludicrous Australian women are denied access to this relatively safe alternative.

I read through that link provided. It said that 96% of the participants in the trials experianced cramps.... Er... so what? Most women I know experiance that once a month, so its hardly a big deal, or a reason to continue this foolish ban!

I support Lyn Allison's call for mifepristone to be made available in Australia. If Australians are serious about getting most value for our medical dollar then we need to use mifepristone instead of abortions where practicable.

As glaucoma causes destruction of the optic nerve and results in blindness I find it totally wicked that Senator Brian Harradine was able to foist his views on Australian legislation and deprive Australians access to cheap proven medical care.

Women who are desperate to rid a foetus will try gin, rue, metal coathangers. Do women in rural Australia need the added expense of travelling to a capital city to procure an abortion? Or is every foetus important enough for the grateful Australian tax payer to provide adequate single parent pension, child endowment and funding to public schools to allow the child to grow up in decent frugal comfort. If not, then rethink your opposition to family planning whether it occurs pre conception or just after conception!

We argue about this as Howard legislates our labour laws and democracy down the drain.

Howard is really trying to return us to the 1950's when women's place was in the home, bad luck if the husband died, was a wastrel or beat her up, so long as she kept smiling and popping out kids that was all that was required.

Yes let's legalise Mifepristone.

The awesome thing is Mifepristone can be used in more than one way. For those mothers who go through full term pregnancy, only to find
that they don't feel mentally or physically prepared to have the baby, fear not! You can feed that baby Mifepristone until his inconvienient ass overdoses. Oops thats a bit harsh. I mean until that little parasite says sayanara. Hrmm..that didn't work. I mean until there is a successful termination.

Therefore I advocate infanticide being made legal on the grounds that it protects the mothers pyschological and physical well being. Because it is her life, and it is her right to choose.