2023-04-30 06:41:05
According to information reported on Friday, this pill, manufactured by the British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International, can terminate a pregnancy up to nine weeks gestation. So far, abortions in Japan could only be performed surgically and often required spousal or partner consent. According to the Japan Times, abortion is legal up to 22 weeks of pregnancy, but it is rarely performed after the 12th week. The Ministry of Health had opened an online public consultation to gather opinions on this abortion pill. The pill is made up of two types of medication and can be used up to nine weeks of pregnancy. According to the Japanese public broadcaster NHK, clinical trials conducted in Japan have shown that 93% of participants had a complete abortion within 24 hours of taking the pill (source 1).
The decision of the Ministry of Health to approve the sale of this abortion pill has been welcomed by the country’s medical experts. According to CNN, Kanako Inaba, an obstetrician and gynecologist, said the approval of this pill is an opportunity to raise public awareness of contraceptive methods and sex education. The total cost of the pill and a medical consultation isaround 100,000 yen, an amount similar to that of a surgical abortion. However, abortions are not not covered by public health insurance in Japan, which makes access to this method more difficult for women who cannot afford the cost. According to the Ministry of Health, 126,174 abortions were performed in Japan in fiscal year 2021. Japanese activists have been pushing for years to get abortion pills approved, and the move is seen as a milestone for reproductive rights in the country. Mifepristone, the active substance of this abortion pillwas first approved in France in 1988 and in the United States in 2000.
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