Fed: Women senators support unbiased pregnancy counselling

AAP General News (Australia)
08-16-2006
Fed: Women senators support unbiased pregnancy counselling

CANBERRA, Aug 16 AAP - Women senators from all sides of politics will show their support
for moves to ensure pregnancy counselling services provide unbiased abortion information.

Activists groups will present Liberal senator Judith Adams, Labor senator Claire Moore,
Greens senator Kerry Nettle and Australian Democrats senator Natasha Stott Despoja with
a petition signed by more than 15,000 people calling for an end to deceptive advertising.

Concerns have been raised that some services are biased and try to dissuade pregnant
women from having an abortion.

The presentation comes the day before a governmental committee will hand down its report
into laws regulating services.

The committee is reviewing a private member's bill Senator Stott Despoja moved in the
Senate calling for government funding to services who engage in misleading or deceptive
advertising to be cut.

Senator Stott Despoja originally tabled the petition, then containing 13,000 signatures,
in the Senate in June.

The presentation today is designed to show the legislation has cross party support.

The Senate committee has been considering whether Senator Stott Despoja's legislation
improves services and ensures government-funded counselling services are objective, non-directive,
and includes information on all pregnancy options.

Its report is due by Thursday.

The government in March announced a $50 million package designed to cut Australia's
termination rate that includes a 24-hour advice hotline for pregnant women and a Medicare
rebate for pregnancy-related counselling.

It followed a parliamentary vote to lift an effective ban on abortion drug RU486 by
stripping Health Minister Tony Abbott of his veto powers over the drug.

Opponents of the plan believe it is biased because it excludes doctors with links to
abortion clinics but includes church-affiliated groups.

AAP jb/nf

KEYWORD: ABORTION DAYLEAD

) 2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.