Washington D.C., Apr 25, 2023 / 15:20 pm
Japan is now one step closer to legalizing an abortion pill despite some pushback from a small but dedicated pro-life movement protesting the government’s efforts.
A panel from Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare voted to approve a pill that would allow mothers to kill their preborn children up to the ninth week of gestation. Currently, chemical abortions are not legally available in Japan. The pill now awaits final approval from the country’s health minister, who is expected to sign off on it.
The pill, developed by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma, combines two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. The drug combination, which is the most common way to induce a chemical abortion, has been approved in much of the Western world. Mifepristone first became available in Europe more than 30 years ago.
Although its use is also legal in the United States, with the exception of states that have explicitly banned or heavily restricted abortion, it is currently the subject of a lawsuit. The plaintiffs in the case have argued that the Food and Drug Administration improperly approved the drug, ignoring their own safety protocols.