TGAApproves Easier Access
On 11 July, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), Australia’sgovernment authority for regulating medicines, approved an applicationfrom MS Health, a sister company to MSI International, amendingrestrictions to prescribe a drug called MS-2 Step. MS-2 Step is theproprietary name for a combination of two abortion pills Mifepristoneand Misoprostol.[i]
Prior to the TGA’s announcement, MS-2 Step was only prescribed by adoctor who had been certified to prescribe the medicine and dispensedby a pharmacist who also had to be a registered dispenser.[ii]
Financially MS Health seeks to benefit greatly from the TGA’samendment, as they are the sole license holders for this drug.Therefore, expanding access to MS-2 Step publicly will in turnincrease the profits of MSI International.
Labor’sAbortion Expansion Plan
The TGA’s decision however, is just another link in the strategicchain of anti-life ideology, determined to make abortion available atany cost. The political vehicle co-opted into delivering thisanti-life scheme is the Labor Party.
In 2019, Labor committed to making abortion more accessible. Whenthe Health Minister, Mark Butler, was asked recently about the nextsteps in Labor’s abortion expansion he said:
“In the Federal Parliament there is a Senate inquiry into theseissues. This has been an inquiry that has been very well received outin the community, lots of interest, lots of submissions, some publichearings. So we are looking forward to that inquiry and we are lookingforward to those recommendations … we think the proper thing to do iswait for the outcome of the inquiry, consider the recommendations andwe will provide a response in that time.”[iii]
According to the Government website, Senate Committees “provide anopportunity for organisations and individuals to participate in policymaking and to have their views placed on the public record andconsidered part of the decision-making process”.[iv]
Therefore, for the Labor Government, the catalyst for abortionexpansion is linked to the recommendations of the Universal Access toReproductive Healthcare Senate Inquiry, which called for submissionsin November 2022.
SenateInquiry: Democratic Betrayal
The Australian public, after reading the terms and conditions ofSenate Committees, would be correct to assume thatorganisations and individuals would be asked toparticipate and be considered part of the decision-makingprocess – that’s exactly what has happened.
Furthermore, the Australian public would be correct to assume thatwhen Mr. Butler said the inquiry had been very well received, withlots of submissions as well as public hearings – that’s exactly whathas happened.
Here’s the issue.
The inquiry was an absolute embarrassment for democracy inAustralia. The outcome was pre-determined and dissenting voices werecompletely silenced.
According to Dr Joanna Howe, professor of Law at the University ofAdelaide, who did incredible work investigating the outcome of theinquiry, there were 1,670 submissions, written by individualAustralian citizens opposing the expansion, “missing” from theGovernment 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 publichearings to which Mark Butler referred – there wasn’t even onedissenting voice invited!
Australians, as tax-paying citizens, have a right to a fair andunbiased democractic process – one they can trust. Regardless of aperson’s position on abortion, the way in which this inquiry has beencarried 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 not meant to provide a voice for theAustralian people as we were led to believe but merely a box-tickingexercise in order for Labor Government to appear as though it haveconsidered all sides, when in fact they just wanted to push throughtheir radical abortion and dangerous abortion policies – the first ofwhich is greater access to the abortion pill.
The TGA‘s changes expand on the ability of any doctor to prescribethe medical abortifacient and any pharmacist to stock and dispense it.Previously, a specific training requirement was required followed bycertification. Permission has also been extended to nursepractitioners who are nurses with an expanded array of skills.
There is little in this new arrangement to allay concerns that thecomplications which can arise from the use of medical abortifacients,especially in regional and rural areas will be prevented. Thesechanges will be implemented from 1st August.
PullingBack The Curtain: The Reality Of MS-2 Step Process
Now this begs the question: Why the need for such an underhandedprocess?
Tragically, the answer to that question lies in the reality of whatthe pills actually do. The majority of women have abortions due to themisinformation (propaganda) they hear from “reproductive healthexperts” such as MSI International (Australia’s largest abortionprovider) who explain to the women what happens before and after theprocedure but unsurprisingly provide zero information regarding whatis happening to the child inside the womb.
Another source of misinformation comes in trusting the perspectivesof senior politicians such as Assistant Minister for Health GedKearney, 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-2Step truly consists of:
Step 1
The woman swallows the first pill, Mifepristone which acts to blockthe action of a naturally occurring hormone called Progesterone.Progesterone is produced through the entirety of pregnancy and isvital in facilitating the passage of nutrients to the developingunborn child through the placenta. It also helps to stabilise theuterine muscle to help prevent natural miscarriage. When Mifepristoneis ingested, it blocks Progesterone, which causes the placenta tobreak down, cutting off oxygen and vital nutrients to the unbornchild. The child then dies in the mother’s womb.
Step 2
Within 48 hours after taking Mifepristone, the women takesMisoprostol, the second pill in the two-step process, which causes theuterus to contract, simulating labour. After swallowing the secondpill, the woman will often experience severe cramping, contractionsand heavy bleeding, before forcing the deceased child out of heruterus.
This process can be incredibly painful and bleeding can last forseveral days. Although the mother could lose the unborn child at anystage after taking the pills, it is common for the women to sit on thetoilet and expel the unborn child down the drain.[vii]
However, Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney claims this is asafe procedure. Safe for whom? For the unborn child, MS-2 Step isnothing less than an instrument of death. And for the women, there areserious medical risks. Recently, The Australian reported thatNational Association of Specialist Obstetricians and Gynaecologistspresident Gino Pecoraro said that of all medical abortions, about 5per cent resulted in complications. “Someone could die because ofthis,” he said, referring to the Labor Government’s policy change toallow nurse practitioners to prescribe the abortion pill instead ofdoctors.[viii]
FurtherTragic Plans for Expansion
To conclude, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that thislandmark move will “slash the red tape”[ix] around who can prescribe the pill. However, in slashing the red tape, all that has been accomplished isthe increase in the destruction of life, the advancement of theanti-life ideological policies of Labor left, the corruption of theSenate inquiry process, not to mention, a financial windfall thatbenefits both abortion providers and MS Health.
So how should we respond?
On the 17-19 August, Brisbane is hosting Labor’s NationalConference. Emily’s Voice, an influential lobbying group within Labor,which is trying to push Labor to become even more pro-abortion ispresenting at the conference. They are determined to slash the redtape even more. They are seeking permission for pharmacists toprescribe the pill freely without consulting a doctor or nursefirst.[x] A changethat Shannon Fentiman, Queensland Minister for Health, has said shewants to take place “as soon as possible”.[xi]
Not only is this this catastrophic for unborn children inAustralia, but to allow pharmacists the ability to prescribe the pillwill put even more Australian women at risk.
Call ToAction
Were urge you to respond in three ways:
1. Contact Your Labor MP & Senators
Copy and paste relevant parts of the above information into anemail or letter to your local LaborMP (if you have one) and your LaborSenators. Ask them for a response. Make them aware of thedangerous Emily’s Voice agenda prior to the National Conference on17-19 August.
2. Become A Financial Supporter
We are battling a multi-billion dollar abortion industry – withyour financial donation, we can increase our impact and reach andcontinue to provide a voice for voiceless.
3.Pray
Finally, we would ask those who are Christians reading this articleto keep this issue in your prayers. Ask God for His intervention andask others within your church community to do the same.
Executive Officer, Matthew Cliff
[i] TherapeuticGoods Administration. “Amendments to restrictions for prescribing ofMS-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] Parliamentof 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 abid 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] LiveAction. “1st Trimester Abortion | The Abortion Pill | What IsAbortion?” YouTube, June 14, 2022.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnEHZiud8dg&list=FL9vKvUdOZL-HC8rcpxIydKQ&index=12&t=5s&ab_channel=LiveAction
[viii] The Australian. “Peakobstetricians’ body warns women at risk after abortion pill accessexpanded” 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.” AccessedAugust 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] TheCourier 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
CherishLife
https://www.cherishlife.org.au/
