youtube facebook Español

Medical abortion is expanding women's access to safe abortion care.

Lakshmi, a 22-year-old mother of two, came to the ARTH (Action Research and Training for Health) center accompanied by her mother, who was an ARTH volunteer. She had missed her period and did not want any more children. Upon examination, the doctor found that Lakshmi was eight-weeks pregnant. The doctor explained both the techniques available to end an unwanted pregnancy: If she chose manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) the procedure would be complete the same day, and if she opted for medical abortion she would have to return to the clinic after two days and stay in the clinic for five to six hours. The doctor explained that the cost of MVA would be Rs 250 ($6), while the cost of medical abortion would be Rs 400 ($10). Lakshmi chose medical abortion, saying that she just wanted some tablets to bring on her periods and did not want to go through a “safaai (cleaning-up) procedure.”

Lakshmi’s story is told by Kirti Iyengar, an ob-gyn in Rajasthan, India, in the most recent issue of A – the abortion magazine. Iyengar provides comprehensive abortion care services at the ARTH community health center. Iyengar explains that although abortion has been legal in India since 1971, the majority of facilities that provide safe abortions are located in urban areas. Safe abortion services for women in rural areas are still limited, and unsafe abortions cause 10 percent of maternal deaths in large northern Indian states such as Rajasthan. However, medical abortion (MA) is increasing access to safe abortion services.

“MA is an important tool for rural women to make decisions about their own fertility,” writes Iyengar. “MA, which allows women to receive services no matter what time they arrive at the clinic and to leave the same day in good condition, allows women access and protects their confidentiality.”  

In another article in the recent A magazine, Ipas’s Will Alexander talks with Danielle Hassoun, an ob-gyn who was involved in the world’s first trials for mifepristone. Hassoun recounts her experiences in medical abortion’s early days and speculates on its future.

“The idea was so new because we couldn’t even imagine that one day a pill would be an abortifacient,” she says. “I would say that [due to advancements in medical abortion] abortion is now more under the control of women and less under the control of providers and politicians.”

Read more of the Summer 2008 A – the abortion magazine. To subscribe, send an e-mail to a_magazine@ipas.org.

A – the abortion magazine is published biannually and is intended to highlight issues in abortion care and reproductive health that may not get direct attention in the mainstream media or nontechnical publication. Medical abortion is one such topic that receives limited attention and is often misunderstood.

---

For more information, contact media@ipas.org