Italy Approves "Abortion Pill"

Italy's drug administration body has approved the use of RU-486, or "medical abortion," up until the seventh week of pregnancy. It has specified, however, that the drug will not be available in pharmacies and may only be provided by doctors.

Not surprisingly, the Vatican has protested this decision, stating that it will excommunicate any doctors who provide the drug and any women who use it. In any case, the BBC states that %70 of doctors in Italy refuse to perform abortions under a conscience clause.

We talk a lot in the US about how much influence the conservative christian movement has in the debate over abortion, birth control, and sex ed. I had never really given much thought to how this works in a country where the dominant church plays such a large role in the moral culture of the state. For some comparison, in the UK, only about %40 of doctors refuse to perform abortions. In countries like Ireland and Poland, Mifepristone still has not been approved for use, while in the US the FDA approved it for use in September of 2000.

The US still has quite a far way to come, especially compared to many countries that have been making both surgical and medical abortions widely available to women for many years. It's interesting, though, to take a view on what women in some other countries must still experience, especially in countries (Ireland and Italy) that are considered leaders in technology and development. Just more proof that women's rights are generally an afterthought.