The Hague, Netherlands -- A pro-abortion gorup that has launched an
abortion ship off the coast of Ireland has no license for their floating
abortion facility the Dutch government said Tuesday.

The Dutch-registered Aurora left the Netherlands Monday with staff from a
pro-abortion activist group. They planned to administer abortion pills in
international waters outside the 12-mile territorial limit of Ireland,
where abortion is illegal.

Health Minister Els Borst told Parliament that the Women on Waves
Foundation, which chartered the ship, had applied for an abortion facility
license but had not yet received it.

Justice Minister Benk Korthals then told the legislature that ``abortions
are illegal without a license'' and the abortion advocates faced up to 4
1/2 years imprisonment. But he said he didn't have the authority to act
against the crew since no crime had been committed yet.

``We will undertake action, as soon as we know that Dutch law has been
violated. But we cannot do that until the boat has returned to the
Netherlands,'' Korthals said.

The ship was expected to reach Dublin later this week.

A spokeswoman for Women on Waves said Tuesday the pro-abortion group will ``obey Dutch law,'' but didn't say the crew would refrain from doing
abortions.

Before leaving the Netherlands, the group said it planned to give out the
dangerous RU 486 abortion drug, but did not expect to do surgical
abortions. A Justice Ministry spokesman said he was not aware of any legal
difference between the two abortion methods.