Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

RU 48634France, and which are equally keen to use the productNow you have to remember there aren’t many countriesthat fit the bill, particularly as we insist on there being thesame very tight distribution controls as we have here inFrance. Here, a doctor can write out a prescription for anarcotic drug, but he [sic] can’t prescribe RU 486. Thatcan only be done through an authorised clinic, and thename of the patient has to be registered. (Nau, 1990:16).What happened to all those women who could benefit fromRU 486 in the developing countries? What happened to theprivacy claims for RU 486? Furthermore, RU 486/PG iscontraindicated for vast numbers of women, and its list ofcomplications pose unaccep table hazards for all women.ContraindicationsWhen one examines the criteria used to admit women to theRU 486/PG trial protocols, one finds numerous conditionsthat exclude large numbers of women from chemical abortiontreatment. First, the majority of studies recommend thatchemical abortion is only suitable for women 18 years ofage or older (e.g. Sitruk-Ware et al., 1985:245; Swahn andBygdeman, 1989:293; Grimes et al., 1988:1307). This agerecommendation excludes teenagers between 13 and 17, agroup that proponents of chemical abortion argue couldbenefit from its alleged gentler effects, as compared with thealleged harsher effects of conventional abortion. The upperage limit is poorly defined in the studies withrecommendations for women up to 35 years of age (WHOTrial, 1989a: 719); women up to 40 years of age (Swahn andBygdeman, 1989:293); or women up to 42 years of age(Couzinet et al., 1986:1565). In 1991, the French HealthMinistry restricted RU 486/PG abortion to women who areyounger than 35 years of age. These age restrictions excludea considerable number of women.Second, the effectiveness of RU 486/PG abortion is limited