RU486
RU486 is the name given to the drug called mifepristone, a synthetic anti-progesterone. It has been shown to be more than 95 percent effective in terminating a pregnancy up to 7 to 9 weeks from the last menstrual period when used in combination with another drug called misoprostol, which is administered 2 days later.
In comparison to surgical termination of pregnancy, RU486 has more drug-related side effects (such as nausea, diarrhoea, dizziness, headache and fever). Pain and bleeding are also more common and more prolonged, with up to 90 percent of women experiencing cramps and an average of 14 to 17 days bleeding, with ranges from 1 day to 69 days. The timing of the expulsion of the products of conception is not clear and there is at least a theoretical risk of foetal deformity if the termination fails and the pregnancy continues.
On 16 February 2006, the RU486 Private Members Bill passed through the Federal Parliament’s House of Representatives. This means that the Federal Health Minister will no longer have the power to veto any application to allow RU486 to be used in Australia. He has therefore been stripped of his exclusive control over the drug.
Instead, the appropriate medical and scientific experts at the Therapeutic Goods Administration will have the power to assess RU486 and determine whether Australian women will have access to the drug. This process will take time and it is not yet known when the drug will be readily available to all women in Australia.