Govt undecided on abortion aid debate

The Rudd government has not yet decided on whether to overturn a ban on providing funds to overseas aid programs giving advice on abortion. The ban was introduced a decade ago by the Howard government, but Foreign Minister Stephen Smith is once again looking into the issue. Mr Rudd told the Ten Network he was sure there would be a caucus discussion on the issue. "Put all this into context - there was an all-party report last year chaired by the Liberal Party under Dr Mal Washer, as I understand it, which recommended that these guidelines agreed in the past by the Liberal government be changed," he said. "That, of course, has triggered further discussion both within the Liberal Party now, and in our own party. "The caucus I'm sure will debate this at the appropriate time." But Mr Rudd said he would like to see more information before making a set decision on whether to support a change to the current ban. "The exact nature or the quantum of our funding commitment to these programs to assist population control mechanisms in developing countries and how they are administered, I'd really like to get my head around all of the detail of that before getting into the substance of the debate," he said. When asked if the churches would play a role in the government's decision, Mr Rudd said they were entitled to participate in the debate. "Look, it's a democracy. "Everyone's got a pretty fair chance to have their say in this country. "Let's have a discussion and as soon as I'm across all the detail, I'll be in it as well. "It's one of the things which is part of how you govern the country - being open to challenge rather than saying any challenge to us represents some sort of threat to our political authority. Not our approach." - AAP.