Italy Approves Abortion Pill

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Italy Approves Abortion Pill

thawstudio.com

The abortion drug RU486 is available in many European countries. The U.S. approved its use in 2000.

In the face of strong conservative Catholic opposition, Italy has approved use of the RU486 abortion drug. Italian authorities decided to allow the drug to be administered by a doctor up to the seventh week of pregnancy.

The pill was introduced 20 years ago in France, but it has taken Italy that long to catch up with women’s reproductive rights.

AP via The Guardian:

Italy’s health and drugs authorities have approved the use of the abortion drug RU486, drawing immediate protests by the Vatican.

The Italian Drug Agency ruled, after a meeting which ended last night, that the drug cannot be sold in [pharmacies] but can be administered only by doctors in a hospital. The agency said the pill can only be taken up to the seventh week of pregnancy.

The RU486 was first introduced in France almost 20 years ago and is available in several other European countries. But approval in Italy has been held up by the Catholic church, which opposes abortion and contraception.

However, Italy allows surgical abortions in hospitals and the use of the morning-after pill.

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TAGS: abortion catholicism fetus italy reproductive rights ru486 vatican women

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By hippie4ever, August 2, 2009 at 8:40 am Link to this comment

Dar wrote: “Another country abandones morality for feminist hednomism.”

Thanks for your candor: morality is repression that enables rampant, unrestricted breeding. In your world, a woman is just a vessel for producing offspring, rather like a cow. We should all be under the yoke of Christianity and fascism, all the while crowing about Jesus, God, Babies and Shopping. Bravo!

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By Milton, July 31, 2009 at 11:21 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

and how many years has it taken for the US to come to terms with women’s reproductive rights???

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By Dar, July 31, 2009 at 11:03 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Another country abandones morality for feminist hednomism.

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By Jody, July 31, 2009 at 1:35 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Technically we’re talking about an embryo, not a fetus, up to the 9th week after fertilization (11th week of gestational age). Seems to me it would help if we used the right terms.

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By lester333, July 31, 2009 at 11:53 am Link to this comment

Hell, the USA is just as “stupidly”. I was in family planning for years and we prayed daily for RU486. Sorry, the conservative idiots always win in this banana land.

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