RU 486 and Abortion Practices in Europe: From Legalization to Access

Abstract RU 486 has been heralded as “the gentle abortion” by its supporters and vilified by opponents as “the pill of death.” It has been available for a decade to women in France, Britain, and Sweden, and to women in nine other European Union countries since 1999. We explore the impact of this controversial technology on abortion rates and practices in Europe, looking first at the EU region as a whole, then examining more closely the politics of RU 486 in France and Germany. We find no evidence that access to medical abortion with RU 486 has increased abortion rates in Europe. We do find large national differences in the use of medical versus surgical abortions. These abortion practices are shaped by economic incentives, the organization of medical services, bureaucratic accounting rules, and physicians' choices. We conclude that effective implementation, with governmental support, has a critical impact on access to medical abortion services.