Pill helps boost abortions in Britain
Britain's independent abortion provider BPAS says the early medical abortion pill accounted for nearly a third of 32,000 pregnancy terminations last year.
A record 10,000 women had abortions in their own homes during the first nine weeks of pregnancy, says the agency.
The head of the agency says demand for the EMA pill has surged after BPAS started allowing women to go home after the second dose, reports The Times of London.
The Times said anti-abortion campaigners have condemned the procedure, claiming such abortions have been linked with the deaths of 10 women.
The abortion pill is given in two stages. A woman must go to a clinic to take the first oral dose of a drug called mifepristone or RU486, which blocks pregnancy hormones. After two days, the woman comes for a second drug which triggers a miscarriage after a few hours. Those who support the procedure say being able to go home to have the miscarriage gives a woman more control over an extremely personal issue, the newspaper said.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
