What Does the Abortion Pill Mean For US Women?
After years of fierce debate, FDA officials have approved the use of the abortion pill RU-486.
The decision is expected to have a huge impact, making abortions more accessible and more private for women in this country.
Dr. Emily Senay shared some information with The Early Show about how the drug works and its potential side effects.
American women will now have access to RU-486, which has been available in Europe for more than 10 years. There, the drug has been marketed under several names, including the French Abortion Pill and mifepristone, but in this country it will be sold under the brand name Mifeprex or as the Early Option pill.
"There is now a medical alternative for the early termination of pregnancy, and in very simple terms, that is what this drug approval brings to American women," says Jane Henney, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.
Opponents of the drug say it poses serious health risks. "This is a very dangerous drug, and that widely used within the US population, could cause a great deal of havoc in the lives and health of women," says Olivia Gans of the National Right to Life Committee.
Abortion rights advocate Gloria Feldt of Planned Parenthood hailed the decision as a tremendous victory for women. "It's a technological step forward that is really as important as the advent of the birth control pill was 40 years ago," she says.
How does it work
Mifeprex blocks the hormone progesterone, which helps to keep an embryo attached to the lining of the uterus, Senay explains. After the embryo detaches, a second drug called misoprostol is given, causing contractions that expel the embryo from the body. ©MMII CBS Worldwide Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed
One woman, who participated in a study of Mifeprex and declined to be showed on camera, ended an unplanned pregnancy with the abortion pill.
"Terminating a pregnancy is never a good experience in itself," she says. "Once I decided to do it, I had a very good experience with the medication."
Mifeprex can only be used to end a pregnancy during the first seven weeks. "That's 49 days after the beginning of the last menstrual period," Senay says. According to results from the clinical trials, she adds, the Mifeprex-misoprostol drug combination is 92 to 95 percent effective.