The Japanese health ministry approved for the first time the sale of an oral abortion pill, giving women in early pregnancy an alternative to the surgical procedure.
Key points
- The Mefeego pill pack developed by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International can terminate a pregnancy of up to nine weeks of gestation, and is considered safer than surgical abortions.
- Mefeego is a two-drug combination of mifepristone, which blocks a pregnancy hormone, and misoprostol, taken 36 to 48 hours later to stimulate uterine contractions.
- Until now, only surgery was approved for early-term abortions, but the method of removing tissues with medical instruments was criticized as risking harming the uterus.
- In Japan, abortion is legal up to 21 weeks and six days of pregnancy, but only if a woman can prove that there is a risk to her health or likely to have financial hardship if she gives birth to the child.
- A married woman can obtain access to abortion only if she has the consent of her husband.
