TONY ABBOTT: Well, because...because if it doesn't happen... LIZ JACKSON: Malcolm Turnbull actually gave that commitment. TONY ABBOTT: But Liz, if it doesn't happen, I don't want people to say well, you know, Abbott gave this commitment and he's failed to achieve it. LIZ JACKSON: By the end of 2003, Tony Abbott had been promoted into Howard's Cabinet as Minister for Health. Controversy over abortion and religion was coming around the corner. (Archive footage of Tony Abbott talking to media 2005) TONY ABBOTT: Well, let me just take my helmet off. REPORTER: Your article in The Australian the other day provoked quite a few responses; people accused you of using terms like backyard abortions and internet muck and... TONY ABBOTT: Well, the term I used was a backyard miscarriage and that is a possible risk if... LIZ JACKSON: In 2005 a debate erupted over whether the Health Minister should keep his right to veto the abortion drug, RU486. TONY ABBOTT: One of the things that has very much disappointed me is the suggestion that there is a problem with ministerial decision making here because as a Catholic I can't be trusted to make an objective decision. Okay, that's probably enough... (End of footage) LIZ JACKSON: Four women Parliamentarians put up a cross party private members bill to remove the Ministerial veto. Former Democrat Lyn Allison was one of them. LYN ALLISON, AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS LEADER 2004-2008: Well, there was no... there were no guidelines as to how that veto would be