Then she searched for abortion pills on social media and read about mifepristone. Without any doctor's advice, he ordered it online, got the medicine by mail and consumed it. After 24 hours, I also took misoprostol, there was severe pain and bleeding for a few days and then the work was done.
Thousands of women like Diana had been adopting this same path of abortion in America for the last few years and were managing by taking these pills on their own without medical advice, but now the American court has put a temporary break on this easy path.
The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has given this decision on the petition of the State of Louisiana. Therefore, now women will not be able to order this abortion medicine without prescription of their own free will. However, let us tell you further what will be the impact of this decision of the American court in India.
Let us tell you that Mifepristone (Mifeprex, Korlym or RU-486) is the main medicine for medical abortion. It blocks the progesterone hormone and breaks the lining of the uterus. Misoprostol is taken 24-48 hours after taking it, which helps in expelling the pregnancy. It removes up to 99.6% of pregnancies up to 70 days. The FDA approved it in 2000 and it has since been considered a very safe medicine. This abortion medicine is also used in India.
Why is there such a ruckus?
Let us tell you that in 2022, abortion was banned in many states of America, but with the help of telehealth and mail facility, women could get it ordered at home. Shield laws in Democratic states made this easier. The situation became such that instead of decreasing, the number of abortions in America increased by more than 60 percent.
Not only this, anti-abortion groups in America argue that use of the drug without monitoring is dangerous. They also want to end the Shield Law. He says that this was harming the laws of the state.
Now the court has given its decision
In view of the increase in abortions, the US court has given a temporary order that mifepristone can no longer be given through telehealth or mail. It has to be taken in-person from the pharmacy. The court said the FDA's rule violates state anti-abortion laws.
However, this court order can become a headache for women, because now every woman will have to physically go to the doctor for this medicine. Abortion rights groups say that this is making access difficult for women, especially in remote or restricted areas. With this, pharmaceutical company Danco Laboratories has now sought time to appeal in the Supreme Court.
What impact can it have in India?
According to experts, it will not have much impact in India because strict rules regarding abortion medicines are already in place here. Mifepristone medicine is not available here without medical prescription. Doctor's prescription is also necessary to order this medicine online.
Apart from this, there is a difference in the rules between India and America. In India, work is done under the guidelines and rules of CDSCO, whereas in America, it is done with the approval of FDA.
In such a situation, medical abortion is legal in India under the MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act, 1971 (amended 2021). Both mifepristone and misoprostol are Schedule H medicines, which can be obtained from a pharmacy on prescription and can be used up to 9 weeks (63 days) of pregnancy.
