Get "In the Know": Questions About Pregnancy, Contraception and Abortion

Medical Abortion

What is mifepristone?

• Mifepristone, also known as the abortion pill or RU-486, is prescribed for early, nonsurgical abortion.

When was mifepristone approved for use in medical abortion in the United States?

• Mifepristone (RU-486, Mifeprex) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in September 2000, and distribution began in November 2000. It had been approved in France 12 years earlier, in 1988. (34)

• How many medical abortions occur in the United States each year? There are indications that the use of mifepristone for early abortion is growing in the United States, although mainly at sites that also provide surgical abortion. At Planned Parenthood facilities, the proportion of early abortions performed with mifepristone increased from 9% of eligible women in 2001 to 24% in 2004. (35)

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This resource was produced with support from the David and Lucille Packard Foundation and the Roth Family Foundation.