RU-486 (Mifepristone) is a steroid that causes an abortion when taken orally.

This drug inhibits the natural function of your body. The uterine lining softens, breaks down and the growing baby is shed from the uterus. RU-486 ends 65%-80% of all pregnancies.

First appointment: You go to a doctor's office or clinic and have a pelvic exam, blood test, and a vaginal ultrasound exam. The ultrasound shows the age of your baby. RU-486 works between six and nine weeks after your last menstrual period (LMP). You will take a single oral dose of RU-486 (Mifepristone).

Second appointment: If the abortion has not occurred, two days later you return to the clinic and take another drug (Cytotec or Misoprostol). This makes the uterus contract like you are in labor. In most cases (95%), the baby, tissue, and blood will come out of your vagina within four hours.

Third appointment: About twelve days later, the doctor will need to examine you to make sure that you are no longer pregnant. Eight out of 100 woman are still pregnant after using RU-486 and Misoprostol.

How much does it cost?

RU-486 costs the same as a surgical abortion.

The majority of women experience painful abdominal cramping, vaginal bleeding, nausea, and diarrhea. In some cases the abortion is incomplete, which can lead to infection. Bleeding lasts 13-15 days sometimes more.

Women who are considered high-risk are those who are over 35 years old, are heavy smokers, have heart problems, diabetes, asthma or anemia.

Some people claim that RU-486 is more private, quicker, less expensive, safer and less painful than a surgical abortion. None of these claims is true. The side effects are just as hard on a woman, if not worse, than a surgical abortion. In addition to physical side effects, some women will experience sadness and regret because of this decision. So far, in the U. S., tests have not been conducted to find out if these drugs will cause long-term health problems for women or for future, wanted children. No tests have been done on teenagers.

If you take RU-486 and the baby has implanted in your Fallopian tube rather than in your uterus, it will continue to grow there and could cause serious harm to you. In fact, this is potentially fatal.

It would be wise to ask your doctor the following questions before consenting to an abortion:

• What can I expect to happen if I take this drug?
• Will it hurt?
• How long will I bleed? What do I do if my bleeding seems unusually heavy?
• Will this affect future wanted children? How do you know?
• Will this cause any health problems for me that I will regret when I am older?

If you don't receive satisfactory answers to these questions this could be cause for concern.

For about 8 women out of 100 in the U.S. clinical study, the RU-486/Misoprostol combination failed to result in a medical abortion and a surgical abortion was recommended. A baby who is not aborted after taking RU-486/Misoprostol faces the possibility of malformations due to the damaging effects of the drug(s). (New England Journal of medicine). In Europe, many women who choose this method of abortion are required to sign a form stating that they will have a surgical abortion if this method fails.

Normally, the Food and Drug Administration conducts careful studies using strict protocol to insure long-term safety before approving a drug. However, with this drug, only a few trials have been conducted in the U.S. Most conclusions about safety were drawn from studies in other countries. The U.S. study, conducted with 2,121 women, reported that 72 had to be hospitalized, most bled for 13 days, 8% did not abort after taking the two drugs and were advised to have a surgical abortion.

At nine weeks (LMP), you can see arms with fingers, feet with toes, closed eyes, ears, and a nose. The heart beats and brain waves can be detected and measured.

With a surgical abortion you don't see what the doctor has removed from your womb. With RU- 486, your baby may be expelled while you are at home, work, or school. For some women, seeing the baby causes deep feelings of sadness.

Some people think that because the baby is smaller and perhaps looks less like a newborn that God doesn't mind as much if you choose to abort. The truth is, once a sperm and egg unite, a whole unique person is created and abortion of any kind ends that life.

Many women who have had a surgical abortion go through a time of grieving for the lost baby. Typically, people don't grieve when they cut their fingernails, get a mole removed or have their hair cut. That's because in those instances useless tissue has been cut away and discarded. If you have an abortion, a separate human life ends. The argument, "It's my body" doesn't make sense. Although the baby growing your womb needs you for survival -- it is not a part of you. A baby dependent on you for nurture and protection will die.