About our Mifepristone news
Latest news on Mifepristone, a medication used to terminate early pregnancies, typically those that are less than 10 weeks along. It is also known as RU-486 or the "abortion pill". Mifepristone works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which is needed for a pregnancy to continue. This causes the lining of the uterus to break down, and the pregnancy to detach and be expelled from the body.
Mifepristone is usually taken orally, followed by a second medication called misoprostol, which is taken a few days later to help expel the pregnancy. Mifepristone is considered safe and effective when used under the guidance of a healthcare provider, and is typically used as an alternative to surgical abortion. It may also be used in certain medical conditions, such as Cushing's syndrome, where it helps to reduce the production of cortisol hormone.
Mifepristone has been in the news recently because of a legal dispute over its approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A federal judge in Texas ruled that the FDA had violated the law by approving mifepristone without considering its potential impacts on adolescent girls. The judge ordered the FDA to suspend its approval of the drug and conduct a new review within 30 days. The US Department of Justice has appealed against this ruling, arguing that it would endanger women's health and access to abortion. However, on the same day, a federal judge in Washington state issued a contradictory order that prevented the FDA from changing its current regulation of mifepristone, which allows the drug to be prescribed by any provider and dispensed by mail during the Covid-19 pandemic. The judge ruled that the FDA's regulation is based on scientific evidence and protects women's health and rights. The case could end up in the Supreme Court, which has a conservative majority.
Meanwhile, some states led by Democratic governors have been stockpiling doses of mifepristone and misoprostol, the other drug used for medical abortion, to ensure their availability in case of a ban. They have also been defending their rights to provide abortion pills to their residents against pressure from Republican attorneys general in other states. The states that are suing to expand access to mifepristone are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont and Washington. They argue that the restrictions on mifepristone are not supported by evidence and impose unnecessary burdens on women and health care providers.