The policy that provided for the research and eventual approval of mifepristone actually grew our of the landmark Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade. Although the court was dealing with surgical abortion, some of the issues that surround surgical abortion also apply to medical abortion. There are big differences in other respects however such as the timing of the abortion . Medical abortions have to take place early in the pregnancy when the embryo is no bigger than a grain of rice.
Surgical abortions can take place later in the pregnancy.
Depending on the definitions of terms such as viability and person, medical abortions could be considered birth control instead of abortion. However, the research and marketing of mefepristone could not have happened at all unless the Roe v. Wade case had been won. All the policies that were created in response to Roe v. Wade were in place and allowed the abortion pill to be developed. Roe V. Wade also allowed the FDA to give the Population Council approval to test mifepristone in 1983. The FDA has it's own rules and policies which apply to all new drugs and mifepristone was just another drug making it's way through the bureaucracy.