Australia Considers Lifting Ban On Foreign Aid For Abortion Services, Government Official Says

Main Category: Abortion
Article Date: 05 Jun 2008 - 5:00 PDT

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The Australian government is considering lifting a requirement that no group receiving foreign aid can use the funding for abortion counseling, services or training, Bob McMullan, parliamentary secretary for international development assistance, said Wednesday, AFP/Straits Times reports (AFP/Straits Times, 6/4). According to the AP/Seattle Times, Australia and the U.S. are the only countries that currently prohibit foreign aid from being spent on abortion-related services (McGuirk, AP/Seattle Times, 6/3).

The ban was implemented in 1996 by conservative former Prime Minister John Howard, whose coalition was defeated in November 2007 by center-left Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's coalition. Rudd's administration has asked Parliament to debate lifting the ban (AFP/Straits Times, 6/4). According to McMullan, Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has asked a parliamentary committee to prepare a report on whether the ban should be lifted, although parliamentary approval is not required to lift the ban.

Conservative opposition Sen. Ron Boswell said Rudd would face "political backlash" from some conservative Christians if the ban is lifted. Julie Munday, Asia-Pacific regional CEO for the reproductive rights group Marie Stopes International, noted that Australian women have access to state-subsidized abortions, adding that the ban is "quite an arrogant stance to assume that what's good for Australians isn't necessarily good for women overseas." McMullan declined to state an opinion on the ban but said the review would lead to debate (AP/Seattle Times, 6/3).

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