A $2 abortion pill is on the market

[Alpharetta]

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/health/3378256

In 2000, researchers at three obstetrics and gynecology clinics in New York noted that low-income immigrant women were already using misoprostol as an alternative to going to an abortion clinic, because it was easier and less expensive. They got the pills from doctors, pharmacies, relatives and from contacts in other countries.

The drug causes the uterus to contract and, if the contractions are strong enough, to expel the embryo or fetus. In the United States, misoprostol is typically used off label with the abortion drug RU-486 in non-surgical abortions and in some surgical abortions. A spokeswoman for Pfizer, which sells misoprostol under the name Cytotec, said the company does not comment on off-label use. Last year, Americans filled 365,000 prescriptions of misoprostol for ulcers, according to IMS Health, a pharmaceutical consulting firm.

A dose sufficient to cause an abortion costs less than $2, said Dr. John K. Jain, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Southern California, who has performed limited clinical trials of abortions using misoprostol alone. He said he found that it was effective 80 to 90 percent of the time, if administered by a doctor. This is slightly lower than its effectiveness in combination with RU-486.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/health/3378256

[rodeodance]

1. where there is a will there is way--yup.

[CAcyclist]

2. Another drug combo

You can also use a combo of methotrexate followed by misoprostol for greater efficacy. Methotrexate is a chemotherapy drug, though, so harder to get a hold of.

[Lisa0825]

3. That has been used in Latin American countries for years...

I have been reading a very interesting book, "Land of God and Man: A Latin Woman's Journey," by Sylvia Paternostro, which goes into great detail about the rather schizophrenic relationship Latin American countries have with abortion. Of course it is still very taboo and illegal in most, but the abortion rate is actually VERY high, and many women have used Cytotec, an ulcer drug, to induce abortions.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0452280303/qid=1128454228/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-7077558-5055306?v=glance&s=books

[displacedtexan]

4. I read recently that the population of Italy would double in 10 years

if women stopped having abortions or inducing them at home.

Evidently, it's a secret among women there, and the church turns a blind eye.