Way of the Future: Medical Abortion, Private, Safe, Cheap

This TIME writer has the right idea (my bold).

As both pro-choice and pro-life forces attempt to put Kermit Gosnell to use to argue the moral rectitude of their position, and the jury in his trial continues to deliberate, there is a danger that we will lose sight of what Kermit Gosnell really is — an anachronism.
. . .
Gosnell was a stop of last resort for woman late in their pregnancies. They sought an abortion past the point of fetal viability — a choice illegal in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. For these women, Gosnell and his ilk are their only option.

But regardless of the outcome of Gosnell’s trial, the need for late trimester abortion is going to disappear. Even surgical abortion will be a thing of the past, as the abortion clinic slowly gives way to pharmaceutical abortion.

I'm not so sanguine that the need for surgical abortion will disappear altogether, but he certainly has an excellent point.

Medical abortion, as we've noted here before, is safe, effective, and much cheaper than surgical abortion. It offers women who want to get the deed over with a quick and private solution.

Which is why the fetus fetishists hate hate hate medical abortion.

What? Give women control over their own reproductive lives?

What? Allow any doctor to prescribe and oversee the process, not just at clinics targetted for harassment?

What? Provide a cheaper alternative to a procedure intended to financially punish wayward women?

Just today, another idiotic law was passed in the Excited States.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, signed on Wednesday a pro-life bill into law that targets abortion drugs by tightening the regulations governing their distribution, and requiring clinics with such practices to meet the same standards as facilities that perform surgeries.

Because that makes so much sense.

While TIME marches backwards in the US, as we reported earlier, Australia is moving ahead to make medical abortion more available and cheaper.

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, made up of medical experts and health economists, recommended listing mifepristone and misoprostol - the two drugs known together as RU486 - for termination of a pregnancy of up to 49 days' gestation.
The committee found the effectiveness of the drugs was similar to that of surgical termination, but was less costly.

Health Minister Tanya Plibersek welcomed the committee's recommendation, noting the drug was on the World Health Organisation's list of essential medicines and had been used successfully by tens of millions of women around the world.

She said the committee's recommendation was only a ''first step'' in listing the drug, but added she expected it to be listed ''sooner rather than later''.

''I would expect this process to take a few weeks. I would expect that a decision would be made before the election,'' she said.

Ms Plibersek said her department would need to ensure there was a steady and good quality supply of the drug and reach agreement on price before the government decided whether to list it.

If it was listed on the PBS [Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee], women would pay $36.10 for each of the two pills, while those with concessions would pay only $5.90 per pill. Currently, the drugs cost between $250 and $350, while surgical abortion generally costs between $300 and $500.

Women 'with concessions' -- presumably on some sort of benefits -- would pay about $12.

Which does make total sense, given that Australia also has universal healthcare.

It is in the state's interest to keep costs down, as well as to accommodate the wishes of its people.

So, why the hell is RU486 not approved yet in Canada?

The most common form of medical abortion is called RU-486 (or Mifepristone). . . .To date, RU-486 has not been approved for use in Canada.
. . .
The only form of medical abortion that is available in Canada is a conjunction of methotrexate and misoprostol. Methotrexate is usually given by injection. Misoprostol tablets are placed in the vagina five to seven days after the methotrexate injection is given. It causes the muscles of the uterus to contract, pushing out the contents. In most cases the uterus will be emptied within 24 hours but in about 35 percent of cases, it can take several days or weeks. Pain medication can be used to ease the pain of the cramps, which occur when the pregnancy tissue comes out of the uterus.

RU486 is a better alternative.

So? Canada? Why the hell not approve it?

More evidence of that hidden agenda Harper doesn't have?