Published: Just now
For the first time, abortion pills will be allowed in Japan – a country where the number of deaths has long exceeded the number of births.
The decision, taken by the Ministry of Health, means that women can now terminate pregnancies up to and including the ninth week using the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol, a so-called medical abortion. Surgical abortion is permitted up to and including week 22, but usually requires approval from the woman’s partner.
Corresponding drugs are used worldwide. France approved abortion pills back in 1988. In the US, the pills have been available since 2000, but they have recently been the subject of intense debate as several states sought to ban or restrict their use.
Abortion is not covered by public health insurance in Japan, and the approval is expected to halve the cost of abortion in the country. The cost of a doctor’s consultation and the drugs is estimated to be around ¥100,000, equivalent to approximately SEK 9,000. A surgical abortion can cost twice as much.
Debaters in Japan have also called for better access to the morning-after pill. Now a prescription is required and the women must take the medicine in front of pharmacists to prevent resale.
Japan is one of the world’s most populous countries, but the decision to allow medical abortion comes at a time when the country is struggling with low birth rates. As of 2005, the number of deaths has exceeded the number of births.
If that continues, the population could drop below 100 million by 2050, according to a population forecast.
On average, a Japanese woman gave birth to 1.4 children in 2019, compared to 1.7 for a Swedish woman.
Facts
Mifepristone
Mifepristone is an anti-hormone that inhibits the effect of progesterone, which is necessary for a pregnancy to progress. The drug is prescribed by doctors to medically terminate a pregnancy.
In the United States, mifepristone is one of two permitted components used to induce abortion during the first ten weeks of pregnancy. The drug was approved in the USA in 2000.
More than half of all abortions in the United States are performed with mifepristone, according to official figures. The method is documented to be safe and has an efficiency of 99.6 percent.
The drug combination mifepristone and misoprostol is approved in over 60 countries, including Sweden.
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