Research & learning

Medication abortion or “abortion pills,” comprised of mifepristone (mife) and misoprostol (miso) or miso alone, have been in use for more than 30 years, and are FDA-approved medications in the US. Today, abortion pills are used by millions worldwide every year to self-manage early abortions and endorsed by the World Health Organization as an essential medication. 

Abortion pills are safe and 98% effective when used in the first trimester (up to 12 weeks into a pregnancy). Misoprostol can also be used alone, in which case it is 80-94% effective in the first trimester, sometimes with additional doses of the medication. Serious complications occur in 2 out of 1000 medication abortions, making abortion pills safer than medications like penicillin and Viagra.

Medication abortions in the US are extremely common, and recent data from SFP's WeCount study showed up to 1 in 5 abortions in the US are now with telehealth (over 65% of all US abortions, in-person and virtual, are with pills). People report choosing this option for many reasons, including cost, lack of access to clinic-based care, and the desire for increased convenience and control. Research studies show that people can accurately evaluate their eligibility for abortion pill use and complete the method successfully, without the need for an ultrasound or in-person consult. This confirms the need and opportunity for demedicalizing this method and moving toward over-the-counter access.

More than 100 research studies show that abortion pills are safe, effective, life-saving medications, whether obtained through a clinic visit, via telehealth, or as a self-managed option. But for reasons founded in politics not medicine, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts access to mifepristone, putting the U.S. radically out-of-step with international guidelines and preventing access for those who would need this method most of all. These restrictions could be changed by the FDA without needing any action from Congress.