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Acceptability of Mifepristone for Early Pregnancy Interruption

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 April 2021

Henry P. David
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Extract

Traditionally, fertility regulating methods were devised and offered in accord with the convenience of service providers and/or with their perceptions of the convenience of the population served. Generally, the focus was on a method's safety, efficacy, and affordability. It was not until a June 1972 planning meeting of the World Health Organization Human Reproduction Unit that the concept of acceptability was adopted as an additional criterion. The purpose was “to modify technology and programs to fit people, rather than modifying people to fit technology and programs.” A WHO Task Force on the Acceptability of Fertility Regulating Methods was established in January 1973 within what has now become the WHO Special Programme of Research, Development, and Research Training in Human Reproduction. Research conducted in the subsequent 17 years has had a profound effect on the field.

It is the purpose of this article to review the current status of early pregnancy interruption with mifepristone (RU 486) combined with a prostaglandin analogue from the standpoint of its acceptability to women.

Type
Patient Perspectives
Information
Law, Medicine and Healthcare , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , Fall 1992 , pp. 188 - 194
Copyright
© 1992 American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics

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