Unwanted or unplanned pregnancies are a fact of life; they do happen, and for many reasons, it is not possible for many women to have a child or be able to care for the baby once it is born. Abortion pills administered under medical supervision are a safer way to end a pregnancy; but it is also a better option compared to a surgical abortion, for pregnancies less than nine weeks.

The use of abortion pills are not void of potential complications, and abortion procedures should never be considered as an acceptable alternative to contraception.

This procedure is conducted in two sessions. The first pill is administered to the patient in the medical office; after two days, the second medication is taken which causes the uterine wall to contract, resulting in the pregnancy tissue being expelled. Doses of the second medication are given in the second session, and a week later, another dose of medication is administered for more uterine contractions to take place, to expel the pregnancy tissue.

People make the common error of confusing the abortion pill with the morning after pill, though these are not at all the same. The morning after pills prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex; the abortion pills terminate an established pregnancy.

Safe abortion pills are not totally without their share of doubts and controversies as with any medical intervention, but the World Health Organization has approved of this procedure as an effective and safe method of terminating pregnancy, as the rate of maternal death is very low. It is also a less expensive and less invasive option.

Women are advised against the abortion pills in certain cases for the sake of their health and safety. If they suffer from severe anemia, adrenal failure, inherited porphyria or diarrhea, and in certain other cases, the abortion pills are not a viable option.

Before a patient embarks on this procedure, she needs to be counseled and provided with guidelines and information. Certain safety criteria have to be followed for this procedure to be successful.

First, it has to be established that a pregnancy exists. An ultra sound has to be conducted to determine the length of the pregnancy because if the pregnancy is nine weeks or more, taking abortion pills has to be avoided due to complications that may result.

The patient must be able to give her informed consent and she must be willing to undergo the procedure. It is necessary for her to have access to a telephone and proper transportation. She should be living within two hours from a hospital, and she must be prepared for follow up visits to the abortion clinic. In the rare case of the abortion pill failing, she must be agreeable to a surgical abortion.

There is the risk of heavy vaginal bleeding with this procedure, and surgical intervention may be required for a very small percentage of women, to complete the abortion process.

As with the case of all medical interventions, the safety of abortion pills can be only comparative and not definitive, and neither should it be ever conducted without proper medical supervision.