It doesnÂ’t take much to see through the distortion and lobbying of the pro-life movement in order to understand what this RU486 debate is really about.

Over 4000 GetUp! member emails sent to their MPs make the issues startlingly clear: itÂ’s about access to a safe and effective abortion drug in a country where abortion is legal. But the other message is that this debate is about honest, accountable and transparent decision-making within government. GetUp! members are rightly asking why a non-medically trained politician with outspoken views on abortion should have veto control over womenÂ’s access to RU486.

And that is the collective position of five senators from five major parties who gathered outside Parliament House (see pictures) to receive the 8000 strong GetUp and Reproductive Choice Australia (RCA) petition yesterday. United with the other senators on the first day of Parliament for 2006, Democrat Leader Lyn Allison said:

“I am confident that parliament will see the wisdom of the bill … (It) is not appropriate, its not democratic, its not even more accountable to have a process where a minister makes a decision where there is no criteria, no process in place, not even any requirement to report to the parliament.”

Liberal senator Judith Troeth commented that it was the first time in her twelve years in Parliament that senators from right across the party spectrum were publicly united in support of a bill – and hoped that it would not be the last time.

With that kind of unity, it is worth considering whether every significant political decision in our federal parliament should be subject to a conscious vote!

The GetUp! and RCA petition will be tabled in the Senate prior to the commencement of the RU486 debate this week. Our thanks go to the Senators for making democracy 'real' – and for amplifying the voices of thousands of Australians in the parliament.

Our every ‘MP vote counts’ campaign continues right up to debate in the House of Representatives. So if you haven’t emailed your MP yet, click here.