Most area hospitals do not plan to offer the drug. But if a woman who has used Mifeprex enters an emergency room because of complications, chances are she will not be turned away, according to Laurie Gettings, spokesman for Mercy Health Partners, which includes Mercy Hospitals Anderson, Clermont, Fairfield, Hamilton and the Franciscan Medical Systems in Mt. Airy and Western Hills. Mercy Health Partners will not offer Mifeprex. The Health Alliance, including Jewish, St. Luke, Christ and University hospitals, has not made a decision on offering the drug, says spokesman Amy Bomar. While some women will choose surgical over medical abortion for psychological reasons, some may have to choose surgical abortion because of cost, Haskell says.
Medical abortions require three doctors' visits, driving up the cost.
Complications for medical abortions are no different than for regular miscarriages, Haskell says. The worst, he says, is hemorrhaging, which if treated, is not a major threat. Mifeprex dates to 1980, when French research team Roussel Uclaf found the drug's progesterone-blocking abilities. U.S. clinical trials found the drug 92 to 95 percent successful in aborting early pregnancies, according to the Population Council. But so far, that's all we know about the drug.