Despite recent attacks to regulate the drug mifepristone (RU-486), which is used for medical abortion, the FDA has approved it for use in medical abortion procedures. Anti-choice lawmakers have introduced the "RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act" in both the House and the Senate, but neither version of the bill has passed. The legislation would restrict the prescribing of the drug mifepristone to physicians who meet specific requirements. Anti-choice legislators have also introduced the "RU-486 Suspension and Review Act," which directs the FDA to review their approval process of the drug. The "RU-486 Patient Health and Safety Protection Act" has been introduced again in both the House (HR 1079) and Senate (S. 511) in the 109th Congress. The Senate lead sponsor is Jim DeMint (R-SC) and cosponsored by nine other men -- George Allen (R-VA), Sam Brownback (R-KS), Tom Coburn (R-OK), John Ensign (R-NV), Michael Enzi (R-WY), James Inhofe (R-OK), Rick Santorum (R-PA) and David Vitter (R-LA). The lead sponsor in the House version of the bill is Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) and currently has 64 co-sponsors.
For more information on medical abortion, see:
Factsheet: Medical Abortion: An Alternative for Women
Factsheet: Laws and Regulations Affecting Medical Abortion
Article: Providing Medical Abortion: Legal Issues of Relevance to Providers, Reprinted from The Journal of the American Medical Women's Association, Vol.55, No.3
