First, the woman takes 600 milligrams of RU 486 to end the pregnancy. It's 95.5 percent effective when used within the first seven weeks. Then, she must take another drug to induce contractions in the uterus to expel the fetus. Finally, she must go back in for an exam to make sure the pregnancy has been aborted. Using this drug is much less traumatic than undergoing surgery.
Serious complications are rare.
Women began using RU 486 in France in 1988. Almost immediately, the French Minister of Health stepped forward and ordered the company to sell the drug in the interest of public health. I've heard that about 200,000 women have used the drug in Europe - it's approved in France, the United Kingdom, and Sweden. In the United States, the Bush administration was not so open-minded. It banned the import of RU 486.