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FDA panel to weigh fate of abortion pill
July 18, 1996
Web posted at: 11:15 p.m. EDTFrom Correspondent Rhonda Rowland
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A Food and Drug Administration advisory committee will hold hearings Friday to decide whether to recommend the use of mifepristone, known as RU-486, as a method of abortion in the United States.
The Feminist Women's Health Center in Atlanta has been one of the test sites for the so-called abortion pill.
"What it afforded was a new option to terminating a pregnancy. It is not necessarily an option that everyone would choose, but it just expands the possibilities for women," said Diann Rifkin, who works at the health center.
To start an abortion, a woman takes two pills of RU-486 during the first two months of pregnancy. Two days later, she takes the drug prostaglandin, which causes uterine bleeding to begin.
Marie Head was one of the study participants.
"I didn't have a lot of cramping," she said. "I was here probably three or four hours that morning, and it was actually over before I even knew it that day."
She said she did not experience serious side effects, although some women have. Possibilities include increased bleeding, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, Rifkin said.
Two weeks after taking the drugs, women return to the clinic to ensure the process is complete. If not, a surgical abortion must be performed.
How safe is it?
On the eve of the FDA hearings, anti-abortion activists raised questions about the safety and emotional impact of RU-486. They said not enough is known about its potential dangers, and insisted that the FDA was pushing approval of the pill for political reasons.
"I'm concerned about the high incidence of hemorrhage and infection as well as the lack of information regarding long-term side effects," said Dr. Donna Harrison, an obstetrician-gynecologist.
But the drug's advocates disagree. "Every inch of the way, the drug has shown its safety, and each of the groups here and certainly us have been satisfied with the safety," Eleanor Smeal of Feminist Majority said.
If the FDA committee recommends approval of RU-486, the United States will join some European and Asian countries in offering women another abortion option. About 200,000 European women have used the drug.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- FDA panel endorses 'morning after' pill - June 29, 1996
- Two prescription drugs add up to one abortion - Aug. 31, 1995
Related sites:
- Food and Drug Administration
- Feminist Women's Studies resources on the WWW
- Political and Pro-Life Factsheet
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