Mifepristone has great promise.
Most significantly, it should give women who live far from an abortion provider better access to a safe, private, and early option for ending unwanted pregnancies. Under the approved regimen, women first obtain mifepristone from their physician and return two days later to take a second drug, misoprostol. In the last decade, more than half a million women in Europe have safely used this drug combination as have thousands of American women in clinical trials. In 1996, the FDA declared mifepristone safe and effective for use as an early method of abortion, though it did not issue final approval of the drug until today. Despite indications earlier this year that the FDA would release the drug with numerous restrictions, many of which would have limited the efficacy of this drug, today's approval was not subject to these terms.