TGA APPROVES EASIER ACCESS
On 11 July, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’s government authority for regulating medicines, approved an application from MS Health, a sister company to MSI International, amending restrictions to prescribe a drug called MS-2 Step. MS-2 Step is the proprietary name for a combination of two abortion pills Mifepristone and Misoprostol.[i]
Prior to the TGA’s announcement, MS-2 Step was only prescribed by a doctor who had been certified to prescribe the medicine and dispensed by a pharmacist who also had to be a registered dispenser.[ii]
Financially MS Health seeks to benefit greatly from the TGA’s amendment, as they are the sole license holders for this drug. Therefore, expanding access to MS-2 Step publicly will in turn increase the profits of MSI International.
LABOR’S ABORTION EXPANSION PLAN
The TGA’s decision however, is just another link in the strategic chain of anti-life ideology, determined to make abortion available at any cost. The political vehicle co-opted into delivering this anti-life scheme is the Labor Party.
In 2019, Labor committed to making abortion more accessible. When the Health Minister, Mark Butler, was asked recently about the next steps in Labor’s abortion expansion he said:
“In the Federal Parliament there is a Senate inquiry into these issues. This has been an inquiry that has been very well received out in the community, lots of interest, lots of submissions, some public hearings. So we are looking forward to that inquiry and we are looking forward to those recommendations … we think the proper thing to do is wait for the outcome of the inquiry, consider the recommendations and we will provide a response in that time.”[iii]
According to the Government website, Senate Committees “provide an opportunity for organisations and individuals to participate in policy making and to have their views placed on the public record and considered part of the decision-making process”.[iv]
Therefore, for the Labor Government, the catalyst for abortion expansion is linked to the recommendations of the Universal Access to Reproductive Healthcare Senate Inquiry, which called for submissions in November 2022.
SENATE INQUIRY: DEMOCRATIC BETRAYAL
The Australian public, after reading the terms and conditions of Senate Committees, would be correct to assume that organisations and individuals would be asked to participate and be considered part of the decision-making process – that’s exactly what happened.
Furthermore, the Australian public would be correct to assume that when Mr. Butler said the inquiry had been very well received, with lots of submissions as well as public hearings – that’s exactly what happened.
Here’s the issue.
The inquiry was an absolute embarrassment for democracy in Australia. The outcome was pre-determined and dissenting voices were completely silenced.
According to Dr Joanna Howe, professor of Law at the University of Adelaide, who did incredible work investigating the outcome of the inquiry, there were 1,670 submissions, written by individual Australian citizens opposing the expansion, “missing” from the Government website. After shedding a light on this injustice, submissions then began to appear online in dribs and drabs.[v]
In addition to the missing submissions, regarding the four public hearings to which Mark Butler referred – there wasn’t even one dissenting voice invited!
Australians, as tax-paying citizens, have a right to a fair and unbiased democractic process – one they can trust. Regardless of a person’s position on abortion, the way in which this inquiry has been carried out is a disgraceful affront to the democratic process.
CONTROVERSIAL ABORTION PILL CHANGES
So what has all this got to do with the abortion pill?
The Senate Inquiry, was meant to provide a voice for the Australian people, not merely a box-ticking exercise in order for Labor Government to appear as though it have considered all sides, when in fact they just wanted to push through their radical abortion and dangerous abortion policies – the first of which is greater access to the abortion pill.
The TGA‘s changes expand on the ability of any doctor to prescribe the medical abortifacient and any pharmacist to stock and dispense it. Previously, a specific training requirement was required followed by certification. Permission has also been extended to nurse practitioners who are nurses with an expanded array of skills.
There is little in this new arrangement to allay concerns that the complications which can arise from the use of medical abortifacients, especially in regional and rural areas will be prevented. These changes will be implemented from 1st August.
PULLING BACK THE CURTAIN: THE REALITY OF MS-2 STEP PROCESS
Now this begs the question: Why the need for such an underhanded process?
Tragically, the answer to that question lies in the reality of what the pills actually do. The majority of women have abortions due to the misinformation (propaganda) they hear from “reproductive health experts” such as MSI International (Australia’s largest abortion provider) who explain to the women what happens before and after the procedure but unsurprisingly provide zero information regarding what is happening to the child inside the womb.
Another source of misinformation comes in trusting the perspectives of senior politicians such as Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney, who says this process is “well known to be very safe.”[vi]
However, let’s pull back the curtain and hear exactly what the MS-2 Step truly consists of:
Step 1
The woman swallows the first pill, Mifepristone which acts to block the action of a naturally occurring hormone called Progesterone. Progesterone is produced through the entirety of pregnancy and is vital in facilitating the passage of nutrients to the developing unborn child through the placenta. It also helps to stabilise the uterine muscle to help prevent natural miscarriage. When Mifepristone is ingested, it blocks Progesterone, which causes the placenta to break down, cutting off oxygen and vital nutrients to the unborn child. The child then dies in the mother’s womb.
Step 2
Within 48 hours after taking Mifepristone, the women takes Misoprostol, the second pill in the two-step process, which causes the uterus to contract, simulating labour. After swallowing the second pill, the woman will often experience severe cramping, contractions and heavy bleeding, before forcing the deceased child out of her uterus.
This process can be incredibly painful and bleeding can last for several days. Although the mother could lose the unborn child at any stage after taking the pills, it is common for the women to sit on the toilet and expel the unborn child down the drain.[vii]
However, Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney claims this is a safe procedure. Safe for whom? For the unborn child, MS-2 Step is nothing less than an instrument of death. And for the women, there are serious medical risks. Recently, The Australian reported that National Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologists president Gino Pecoraro said that of all medical abortions, about 5 per cent resulted in complications. “Someone could die because of this,” he said, referring to the Labor Government’s policy change to allow nurse practitioners to prescribe the abortion pill instead of doctors.[viii]
FURTHER TRAGIC PLANS FOR EXPANSION
To conclude, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that this landmark move will “slash the red tape”[ix] around who can prescribe the pill. However, in slashing the red tape, all that has been accomplished is the increase in the destruction of life, the advancement of the anti-life ideological policies of Labor left, the corruption of the Senate inquiry process, not to mention, a financial windfall that benefits both abortion providers and MS Health.
So how should we respond?
On the 17-19 August, Brisbane is hosting Labor’s National Conference. Emily’s List, an influential lobbying group within Labor, which is trying to push Labor to become even more pro-abortion is presenting at the conference. They are determined to slash the red tape even more. They are seeking permission for pharmacists to prescribe the pill freely without consulting a doctor or nurse first.[x] A change that Shannon Fentiman, Queensland Minister for Health, has said she wants to take place “as soon as possible”.[xi]
Not only is this this catastrophic for unborn children in Australia, but to allow pharmacists the ability to prescribe the pill will put even more Australian women at risk.
CALL TO ACTION
Were urge you to respond in three ways:
1. Contact Your Labor MP & Senators
Copy and paste relevant parts of the above information into an email or letter to your local Labor MP (if you have one) and your Labor Senators. Ask them for a response. Make them aware of the dangerous Emily’s List agenda prior to the National Conference on 17-19 August.
2. Become A Financial Supporter
We are battling a multi-billion dollar abortion industry – with your financial donation, we can increase our impact and reach and continue to provide a voice for voiceless.
3.Pray
Finally, we would ask those who are Christians reading this article to keep this issue in your prayers. Ask God for His intervention and ask others within your church community to do the same.
Executive Officer, Matthew Cliff
[i] Therapeutic Goods Administration. “Amendments to restrictions for prescribing of MS-2 Step (Mifepristone and Misoprostol).” Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/amendments-restrictions-prescribing-ms-2-step-mifepristone-and-misoprostol
[ii] Ibid.
[iii] ABC News. “What is the government’s plan to make abortion accessible?” Instagram, May 3, 2023. https://www.instagram.com/p/CrxYLPTshhb/?img_index=6
[iv] Parliament of Australia. “Senate Committees.” Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.aph.gov.au/parliamentary_business/committees/senate
[v] Joanna Howe. “Senate inquiry SUPPRESSES prolife voices.” YouTube, May 29, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ayvBYzgxtQ&ab_channel=DrJoannaHowe
[vi] ABC News. “Changes to abortion regulation will come into effect next month in a bid to increase access.” Accessed 3, 2023. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-07-11/changes-to-abortion-regulation-in-a-bid-to-increase-access/102584108
[vii] Live Action. “1st Trimester Abortion | The Abortion Pill | What Is Abortion?” YouTube, June 14, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnEHZiud8dg&list=FL9vKvUdOZL-HC8rcpxIydKQ&index=12&t=5s&ab_channel=LiveAction
[viii] The Australian. “Peak obstetricians’ body warns women at risk after abortion pill access expanded” Accessed August 4, 2023. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/peak-obstetricians-body-warns-womens-lives-at-risk-after-abortion-pill-access-expanded/news-story/6a8fda27ce238232c73c56d53c8f06d2
[ix] The Sydney Herald. “Medical abortion pill access expanded in landmark move.” Accessed August 4, 2023. https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/medical-abortion-pill-access-expanded-in-landmark-move-20230710-p5dmzs.html
[x] The Australian. “Empowering pharmacies to prescribe abortion pill ‘worth exploring’: Emily’s List.” Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/womens-group-emilys-list-calls-for-labor-to-consider-allowing-pharmacists-to-prescribe-abortion-pill/news-story/de904a3958b61db3e7700385803951f4
[xi] The Courier Mail. “Qld to change laws around abortion pill access ASAP.” Accessed August 3, 2023. https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/qld-to-change-laws-around-abortion-pill-access-asap/news-story/51bde63b3c2f3f84932a3cbb752dcf1e