Mifepristone (Mifeprex)
These pills are among the reasons that we are not going back to the era of coat hangers - Jia Tolentino
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The Abortion Pill was Supposed to Revolutionize Abortion Access. What Happened?
Mifepristone was supposed to give women more control over their bodies, their families, and their health by expanding their choices and privacy. It was seen as the holy grail that would thwart abortion foes, who, as always, had been working hard to overturn Roe v. Wade and complicate abortion access: "With RU-486," as the pill was known at the time, "termination of early pregnancy will be done medically, not surgically, under conditions that will make it largely impossible to stop," a Chicago Tribune article from 1992 professed. Some advocates had hoped the abortion pill would be available directly through pharmacies and eventually over-the-counter, like Plan B.
Clearly, this hasn't…
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The Abortion Pill Is Safer Than Tylenol and Almost Impossible to Get
Mifepristone could—but probably won’t—revolutionize a post-Roe world.
A Drug That Eases Miscarriages Is Difficult For Women To Get
It's been heavily regulated since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medication abortions in 2000. Government restrictions make it difficult for women who are miscarrying to get it.
How Medication Abortion with RU-486/Mifepristone Works
A step-by-step look at how these drugs end pregnancy.
Merrick Garland's Mention of the FDA Hints at One Possible Way to Fight Restrictions on Abortion Pills
Garland’s mention of the FDA approval of the drug is a nod toward the federal preemption argument, says Rachel Rebouché, interim dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law. That argument is based on the premise that where federal and state laws conflict, the federal law prevails.
The Other Pill
A medical abortion actually involves a set of two pills, to be taken within about 48 hours of each other. The first pill, mifepristone (brand name Mifeprex), blocks the hormones necessary for pregnancy. The second, misoprostol, induces contractions. Together, they trigger what looks and feels like a heavy period. This kind of abortion is generally deemed appropriate within the first nine weeks of a pregnancy. Unlike a surgical abortion, it doesn’t involve anesthesia or require the supervision of a doctor to be safe
The Abortion Pill was Supposed to Revolutionize Abortion Access. What Happened?
The history of the abortion pill is fraught from the start. In 1980, a French pharmaceutical company, Roussel-Uclaf, developed the medication abortion drug, which works by blocking the effects of progesterone, a hormone essential to maintaining pregnancy.
Mifepristone ( Mifeprex)
Mifepristone works by blocking the hormone progesterone. Without progesterone, the lining of the uterus breaks down and the pregnancy cannot continue.
StatPearls
Mifepristone is a synthetic steroid. It is a medication most commonly used for medically induced abortions. Mifepristone can also be used in the management and treatment of Cushing's syndrome and uterine leiomyomas. At low doses, mifepristone blocks progesterone by competitively binding its intracellular receptor.
The FDA holds the key to expanding abortion access
About a month ago in Mexico City, I walked into a pharmacy to see how easy it would be to buy misoprostol, a drug for ulcers that is also used to induce abortions. Very easy, it turned out: All I had to do was ask for the drug and pay 699 Mexican pesos (about $35), no questions asked.
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Last Updated : Tuesday, August 30, 2022