Donald Trump suggested he was open to revoking access to the abortion pill if he won the presidential race, after being asked by a reporter last Thursday if he would “revoke access” to the drug. The following day, Trump’s campaign office said he didn’t hear the question properly. Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, has since said abortion policy should be made by the states and the pair want to “make sure that any medicine is safe, that it is prescribed in the right way”.
But it’s unclear exactly what this means for American women’s future access to abortion. The abortion drug they’re talking about is mifepristone, otherwise known as RU486. Mifepristone is one of the medications used in a medical abortion.
It acts by blocking the effect of progesterone, one of the hormones important to the development of a pregnancy. The second medication involved is misoprostol, which contracts and empties the uterus. In Australia these two medicines are prescribed in a combination pack called MS-2 Step which is registered for use in women up to nine weeks of pregnancy.
What happens during a medical abortion? When a woman undergoes a medical abortion , she first swallows the mifepristone tablet. This blocks a hormone called progesterone, which is needed for the pregnancy to continue. This might result in some spotting or bleeding.
Between 36 and 48 hours later , she places the misoprostol in her cheek and lets it dissolve. Strong cramps and bleeding will start and it will fee.