Mifepristone in combination with a prostaglandin is currently approved for use in medical abortion in France, the United Kingdom, Sweden and China. Worldwide, more than 200,000 women from 20 countries have received this combination therapy for abortion. Although FDA-approved for this purpose, mifepristone is not yet available in the United States. Advantages of Medical Abortion Medical abortion can be offered at an earlier stage than a suction procedure. Women choosing this approach can avoid weeks of anxiety, nausea and other pregnancy symptoms while waiting for a surgical procedure.
Many women report feeling more in control when they choose a medical regimen.
11 Medical abortion is private. Only the woman and her physician need be involved in the decision. With medical abortion, neither the woman nor her physician are in a position to be subjected to the harassment that at times has occurred at locations where surgical abortion is performed. The current political environment has created a situation in which 84 percent of American women live in counties where there is no surgical-abortion provider. 12 Availability of medical abortion may offer more women access to a safe procedure in a familiar environment.