RU-486's approval comes at bad time for Conservatives

Health Canada's approval of Mifegymiso, a drug used to end pregnancies, may come at a tricky time for the Conservatives just days ahead of their expected election call.

TheNew Democrats andLiberals have made their pro-choice policies clear, with Liberal LeaderJustin Trudeau in particular taking heat for promising all MPs in his caucus will vote to maintain a woman's right to choose how to handle a pregnancy.NDP Leader Tom Mulcairmaintains no MPs in his caucus are anti-abortion.

• RU-486 abortion pill approved by Health Canada
• Abortion drug decision pushed back by Health Canada

With the NDP and Liberals officially opposed to setting legal limits on abortion, the Conservatives may be the only party susceptible to political pressure by groups that want limits imposed on the drug.

Shachi Kurl, a seniorvice-president at theAngus Reid Institute, says abortion isn't an issue for the majority of Canadians. But there's still a significant number who want to see limits brought in and they tend to be part of the Conservative Party's base.

"If the Conservatives have not necessarily been seen in their eyes to be delivering on this issue, do they sit on their hands and say I'm going to sit this one out?" Kurl said.

"Or do they simply throw up their hands and say there isn't really anywhere else to go, so we'll stick with the Conservatives?"

Arm's length decision

Health MinisterRonaAmbrose has stayed far away from the public discussion over Mifegymiso, also known as RU-486or Mifepristone, and re-emphasized Thursday that new drug approvals go throughHealth Canada,not the minister.

"The decision does not rest with me.It's out of my hands and the decision is final," Ambrose told reporters in St. Albert, Alta.

It's not clear, however, whether voters who care about the issue will see it the same way. TheCampaign Life Coalition, which says it's advocated against RU-486 since 1999,is calling on Ambrose to block the decision.

"The whole point of her being health minister is tohelp regulate, to help with the decision-making process," said Christina Alaimo, the group's youthco-ordinator.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has long said that he doesn't want to reopen the debate on setting legal limits on abortion, althoughsome members of the Conservative caucus were vocal opponents of abortion.

KitchenerCentre MP StephenWoodworthcalled for a special committee to study when life begins. His private member's motion went to a vote in the House of Commons and, though it was defeated203 to 91,several cabinet ministers voted infavour, including Ambrose.

A few months after that vote,LangleyMP MarkWarawaoffered a private member's motion against sex-selective abortion.Warawalater said the Conservatives wouldn't let him make a statement in the House about the motion, and a committee of MPsrevoked his ability to bring the motion for debate, arguing the motionwas too similar toWoodworth's.

Opposition questions motives

Conservative MP David Anderson, who represents Cypress Hills-Grasslands in Saskatchewan, sent out a press release Thursday condemning Health Canada'sapproval of Mifegymiso.

"This decision is wrong on many levels....Health Canada scientists have failed Canadian women and children by making this decision," Anderson said in a statement.

Liberal MP Hedy Fry questioned why it took so long for Canadians to have access to Mifegymisoand why the approval took two and a half years.

"It's just that they must have done some polling and figured out that it's something that they should do," she said.

The NDP didn't immediatelyrespond to a request for comment.

One of the drug's developers, who has seen it approved in 60countries, said the delay has more to do with product rights and how they were soldto different pharmaceutical companies.

"Canada has been a sort of orphan country for Mifepristone. And when we as Linepharma decided to revisit this issue, we of course decided that Canada would be one of our priorities,"said Dr. AndrUlmann, the lead scientist on RU-486 at Linepharma, which makes the drug.

Ulmann said the two and a half years it took to get approval for the drug was nothing out of the ordinary, and that the company will likely apply ina year or two to extend the drug approval so it can be used up to 70 days into pregnancy rather than the 49 days for which it is currently approved.

Mifegymiso uses a combination ofMifepristoneandMisoprostolover 24 to 48 hours to end a pregnancy.The drug is separate from the drug commonly called the morning-after pill, which can be taken in the first day or twoafter sex to prevent pregnancy.

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