The Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), issued a statement on Oct. 10 hailing the availability of RU-486, a drug designed to induce abortion, as "a moral victory" for women. RCRC is an organization supported financially by the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Mifepristone, or RU-486, commonly referred to as "the abortion pill," was approved by the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on September 28 for sale in the United States. It will be marketed under the trade name Mifeprex by Danco Laboratories and should be available by the end of October. Health insurers generally have agreed to cover the drug.

The drug will not be available through pharmacies. The FDA said that in order to prescribe the drug, abortion practitioners must be able to pinpoint the date of the pregnancy, rule out women with ectopic or tubal pregnancy, and be prepared to perform a surgical abortion when RU-486 fails to complete the abortion or stop the bleeding in the case of severe medical problems. Women must also sign a form agreeing to the necessary three visits to the abortion facility. The three visits are required because of the level of medical risk associated with the drug.

RU-486 is designed to be a three step process
The procedure requires three visits to a doctor's office or clinic over a two-week period. A woman will be directed to ingest three tablets at her first visit, each tablet containing 200 milligrams of Mifeprex. In two days, she'll return to take two 200-microgram tablets of misoprostol (sold under the trade name Cytotec), a drug that causes contractions. She will return for the third visit within twelve days so that the doctor can determine that the baby conceived has been aborted.

There are side effects
Nearly all women who receive Mifeprex and misoprostol will experience adverse reactions, and many will have more than one. Possible side effects include nausea, headache, vomiting and diarrhea. In U.S. clinical trials, 5% of women still needed a surgical abortion after using mifepristone and 2% required surgery to stop heavy bleeding.

Congress pursues legislation to protect mothers
Congressional leaders introduced a bill during the first week of October to tighten standards for abortion practitioners administering Mifeprex. The bill codifies the patient protection standards that were reportedly considered by the FDA prior to approval of RU-486, but which evidently were dropped under political pressure from the abortion lobby.

1. The prescribing physician must be qualified to handle complications of an incomplete abortion. An incomplete abortion left untreated is a very serious, potentially fatal, complication.
2. The prescribing physician must be legally empowered to perform abortion and trained to do so.
3. The prescribing physician must be qualified to read a sonogram in order to date the pregnancy and identify an ectopic pregnancy. The effectiveness of RU-486 in killing the baby is sharply reduced after seven weeks, while the rate of complications is higher.
4. The prescribing physician must be properly trained in the administration of the drug.
5. The physician must have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital.

Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion Rights Action League, opposed the proposed legislation as unnecessarily restrictive of women's rights. The RCRC statement expressed concern "about the effect of the [current] requirement for three separate visits on the most underserved women--those who are low-income, women of color, and youth."

The Washington Post noted that the FDA decision gives American women an alternative surgical abortion: a pill that "will allow them to abort a pregnancy in the privacy of their homes." The cost of the drug, including the required clinic visits, will be comparable to surgical abortion: from $300 - $700.