Studies show the drug, also known as mifepristone, can safely end a pregnancy within the first seven weeks. When combined with misoprostol to induce contractions, it quickly causes 95 percent of women to miscarry. Abortion foes charge that the regimen is not only immoral but a hazard to women because it causes bleeding and doesn’t always work without further intervention.
Mifepristone was developed during the early ’80s by the French firm Groupe Roussel Uclaf. By 1992, Roussel was selling mifepristone in France, Britain and Sweden. And in 1993, the Clinton administration persuaded the firm to donate U.S. rights to the nonprofit Population Council.
The FDA declared mifepristone safe and effective in 1996, asking for further information on marketing. But protests, lawsuits and a long search for a manufacturer stalled further progress until 1999. More delays ensued when the FDA stated new concerns earlier this year, then indicated it was considering heavy restrictions. This week’s decision may finally bring RU-486 to America, but it won’t quiet the controversy.
