The new cabinet has withdrawn draft legislation to allow family doctors to prescribe medical abortion pills in the very early stages of pregnancy, the Volkskrant newspaper said. The move is the first concrete sign of the influence of the two Christian parties in government since the recent election on medical ethics issues, the paper said, both of which oppose any widening of the current abortion laws.
The mife+miso pill, named Sunmedabon, is currently only available in hospitals and abortion clinics. Previous Health Minister Edith Schippers planned to extend prescription rights to family doctors, arguing that women are often more comfortable approaching their own doctor.
SOURCE: Dutch News.nl, 2 November 2017 ; PHOTO
