New Role for RU 486

A study shows the abortion pill can also be a morning-after contraceptive

THE FRENCH-MADE DRUG RU 486 CANNOT BE IMported into the U.S. for a reason that makes pro-choice people livid: it is a safe way of inducing nonsurgical abortions. But a new study done at the University of Edinburgh shows that the drug actually prevents pregnancy in the first place. If taken within 72 hours after intercourse, the drug keeps a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. The same happens if a woman takes a high dose of birth-control pills, but RU 486 has fewer side effects. As an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine points out, the use...

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