HEALTH AND MEDICAL PEAK BODY
STATEMENTS ON MEDICAL ABORTION ETC
Federal
Drug Administration (FDA - USA):
The
Food and Drug Administration today approved mifepristone (trade name Mifeprex)
for the termination of early pregnancy, defined as 49 days or less, counting
from the beginning of the last menstrual period.
Under
the approved treatment regimen, a woman first takes 600 milligrams of
mifepristone (three 200 milligram pills) by mouth. Two days later, she takes 400
micrograms (two 200-microgram pills) of misoprostol, a prostaglandin. Women will
return for a follow-up visit approximately 14 days after taking mifepristone to
determine whether the pregnancy has been terminated.
Because
of the importance of adhering to this treatment regimen, each woman receiving
mifepristone will be given a Medication Guide that clearly explains how to take
the drug, who should avoid taking it, and what side effects can occur.
"The
approval of mifepristone is the result of the FDA's careful evaluation of the
scientific evidence related to the safe and effective use of this drug,"
said Jane E. Henney, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. "The FDA's
review and approval of this drug has adhered strictly to our legal mandate and
mission as a science-based public health regulatory agency."
FDA
based its approval of mifepristone on data from clinical trials in the United
States and France.
The
labeling for mifepristone emphasizes that most women using the product will
experience some side effects, primarily cramping and bleeding. Bleeding and
spotting typically last for between 9 and 16 days. In about one of 100 women,
bleeding can be so heavy that a surgical procedure will be required to stop the
bleeding
FDA
Media release 28 September 2000
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/NEW00737.html
Australian Medical
Association (AMA)
RU-486
has been effectively banned in Australia since 1996. It is available
in many countries including the USA and the UK.AMA President, Dr Mukesh
Haikerwal, calls on the Federal Government to remove restrictions on the use of
the drug in Australia.Dr Haikerwal said the AMA Federal Council made the change
to its position statement to reflect current medical and clinical opinion on the
drug, and to give women a safe and effective alternative to surgical abortion
AMA
Media release 7 11 2005 : AMA Supports Use of RU-486 for Termination of
Pregnancy
http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-6HW5DZ
Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG)
9
Nov 2005 Media release : that RANZCOG gives
“support
to the Australian Medical Associations’ position on endorsing the use of
non-surgical forms of pregnancy termination such as mifepristone (RU486). The
College states that mifepristone (RU486) has a proven role in fertility control.
It is widely available throughout Europe and the USA. It is now available in New
Zealand, but not Australia. “RANZCOG believes that best practice in this field
includes the option of using mifepristone when termination of pregnancy is to be
performed”, RANZCOG President, Dr Kenneth Clark said today.
Mifepristone’s use in conjunction with prostaglandins provides the
option of medical termination of pregnancy, which is an option preferred by many
women.”
RANZCOG
Media release 9 November 2005
http://www.ranzcog.edu.au/media/pdfs/MR-Mifepristone_9-November05.pdf
Women
have the right to make a choice on whether or not to reproduce and should
therefore have access to legal, safe, effective, acceptable and affordable
methods of contraception.
In
summary, the Committee recommended that after appropriate counseling, a woman
had the right to have access to medical or surgical induced abortion, and that
the health care service had an obligation to provide such services as safely as
possible.
From
Ethical Aspects of induced abortion for non medical reasons (p65)
http://www.figo.org/content/PDF/ethics-guidelines-text_2003.pdf
American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) -
(USA)
Medical abortion is a
lengthier process with more steps than surgical abortion, so this method will
not be chosen by every woman needing an early abortion," she says.
"The evidence shows that most women who choose medical abortion do so
because of a desire to avoid surgery if at all possible. We want to aid
physicians wishing to help these women."
ACOG
news release march 31 2001
http://www.acog.org/from_home/publications/press_releases/nr03-31-01-2.cfm
Royal
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) - (UK)
“that
abortion services should 'provide high quality, efficient, effective and
comprehensive care that respects the dignity, individuality and rights of women
to exercise personal choice over their treatment'”
and
their president stated
“Abortion
is a safe procedure that should be funded by the NHS and seen as an integral
part of a reproductive and sexual health care service. It is a basic health care
need for women and should be regarded as such by those who purchase and provide
services. We hope this Guideline will stimulate local services to review whether
they are able to meet the needs of women with unwanted pregnancies.”
From
News release 13 march 2000 Royal
College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists Launches Abortion Guidelines
http://www.rcog.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=880&PressReleaseID=44
RCOG
Medical
abortion is the most effective method for women who are less than 7 weeks
pregnant. It is also a possible choice at any stage of pregnancy.
A
doctor or nurse has the right to refuse to take part in abortion on the grounds
of conscience, but he or she should always refer you to another doctor or nurse
who will help. The General Medical Council’s Duties
of a Doctor says
that doctors must make sure that their “personal beliefs do not prejudice
patient care”. The Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Code
of Conduct provides
similar guidance to nurses.
From Abortion Care – What You
Need to Know (patient info sheet)
http://www.rcog.org.uk/resources/Public/pdf/aboutabortioncare.pdf
RCOG
Induced
abortion is one of the most commonly performed gynaecological procedures in
Great Britain, with around 186 000
terminations performed annually in England and Wales and around 11500 in
Scotland. The Abortion Act does not apply in Northern Ireland and no official
abortion statistics are collected. At
least one-third of British women will have had an abortion by the time they
reach the age of 45 years……… The
provision of abortion as an integral part of broader sexual health services is
reflected in the proposal within the strategy [The National Strategy for
Sexual Health and HIV ] to
“develop managed networks for sexual health services with a broader role for
those working in primary care settings and with providers collaborating to plan
services jointly so that they deliver a more comprehensive service to
patients”. Sexual health strategies developed by the National Assembly of
Wales and by the Scottish Executive include similar targets for abortion care.
From
The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion
http://www.rcog.org.uk/resources/Public/pdf/abortion_summary.pdf
Planned
Parenthood (USA)
“Since its approval in France in 1988, mifepristone has proven to be a safe, effective, acceptable option for women seeking abortion during the first several weeks of pregnancy”………
Mifepristone:
Expanding Women's Options for Early Abortion ; Planned Parenthood
http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/files/portal/medicalinfo/abortion/fact-early-abortion-mifepristone.xml
Cochrane Collaboration
“
There are several different surgical techniques for early termination of
pregnancy (abortion in the first three months). Several drugs can also be
prescribed alone or in combination to terminate early pregnancy. This is called
medical abortion, and uses the hormones prostaglandins and/or mifepristone (an
antiprogesterone often called RU486), and/or methotrexate. The review of trials
found that medical methods for abortion in early pregnancy can be safe and
effective, with the most evidence of effectiveness for a combination of
mifepristone and misoprostol (a prostaglandin). Almost all of the trials were
done in well-resourced hospitals where women returned for check-up.”
Medical
methods for first trimester abortion, Kulier et al The Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews 2005 Issue 4Plain
English explanation
http://www.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab002855.html
World Health Organisation
(WHO)
“At the Special Session of
the United Nations General Assembly in June 1999, Governments agreed that “in
circumstances where abortion is not against the law, health systems should train
and equip health-service providers and should take other measures to ensure that
such abortion is safe and accessible. Additional measures should be taken to
safeguard women’s health.”
Safe abortion - technical and policy guidelines for health systems – WHO, 2003 http://www.who.int/reproductive-health/publications/safe_abortion/