Medical abortion — also called medication abortion or the abortion pill — is a method of using pills to end a pregnancy through a process similar to miscarriage. Like vacuum aspiration, medical abortion is very safe and effective. Medical abortion offers unique advantages. It provides a noninvasive method of ending an unwanted pregnancy that women can use in a range of settings, and often in their own homes.

The most effective medicines for inducing abortion are mifepristone and misoprostol used in combination. Where mifepristone is not available, misoprostol used on its own is also effective. Misoprostol is also a recommended treatment for many other obstetric conditions.

Millions of women around the world have already chosen this proven technology. Medical abortion is especially promising for women most at risk of turning to dangerous or ineffective abortion methods, and for those for whom cost, distance, or other factors make reaching other abortion services difficult or impossible.

The work of our Medical Abortion Initiative to introduce and expand access to medical abortion includes:

Ipas’s comprehensive abortion care training approach encompasses public and private health centers, and reaches health-care providers and staff from the hospital to the community level. Our work focuses on nurses, midwives and others who provide care beyond the hospital setting. Ipas also provides existing trainers with support and opportunities for ongoing learning. (read more)

Ipas conducts medical abortion research around the world, including operations research, program evaluation and community assessments. Ipas’s evaluation of knowledge of, attitudes about and access to medical abortion shapes our programmatic interventions. (read more)

Ipas works with communities and women’s groups in Latin America, Africa and Asia to better understand local needs and to provide women and men with accurate information on the legal status of medical abortion, how and where it is available, and how to use it safely. With partners, Ipas develops culturally appropriate educational materials and interventions, and focuses on meeting the needs of young people. (read more)

Ipas supports the right of each woman to control her own sexuality, fertility, health and well-being. We work with advocates, policymakers and health-care providers around the world to implement laws and policies that support reproductive rights. Ipas supports partner organizations in connecting abortion, the needs of vulnerable populations, social justice, and human rights to broaden support for legal abortion and women’s access to high-quality information and care. (read more)

Ipas collaborates with health ministries, other nonprofit organizations, ob-gyn and midwifery societies, medical and pharmacy associations, women’s organizations, and international agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). Ipas has been a member of The International Consortium for Medical Abortion (ICMA) since its inception, with a member on the steering committee and leadership in regional networks in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. (read more)