The abortion pill available as early as 15 December

Archival Photo Simon Clark
The minister of Health, Gaétan Barrette

Patrick Bellerose

Wednesday, 13 December 2017 17:00

UPDATE
Wednesday, 13 December 2017 17:40

Look at this article

Quebec will now abort with a simple pill, up to the ninth week of pregnancy.

The minister of Health, Gaétan Barrette, made the announcement Wednesday at the national Assembly.

From the 15th of December, all the doctors who have followed a short training online will be able to prescribe the abortion pill Mifegymiso, after having undergone an ultrasound to determine the age of the fetus and ensure that it is not an ectopic pregnancy.

The drug will be available free of charge in a pharmacy and the woman will then be able to administer it at home. “She goes at it with a form, information that is very clear on the possibilities of pain, bleeding, and so on, as well as tips and instructions in the event of such and such a thing”, stresses Gaétan Barrette.

The result of the voluntary interruption of pregnancy drug can be compared to menstruation, ” said minister Barrette.

Time

The abortion pill will become an alternative to abortion traditional, or curettage. “I would like to emphasize on one fact : this is not the morning-after pill,” said Gaétan Barrette.

The announcement Wednesday was expected by the groups of family planning. Health Canada has approved the Mifegymiso in 2015 and the minister Barrette announced last July that it would be available in Quebec “early this fall”.

“You will tell me that it is a week of the end of the fall, but we have maintained our commitment on this front and I think this is great news for patients in Quebec,” the minister underlined.

The delay is mainly explained by the debates that have taken place in the College of physicians and Order of pharmacists of Quebec on the terms and conditions of application.

Risk

The professional orders have particularly discussed the possibility of requiring that the drug be taken at the pharmacy, since it can lead to significant consequences after the 63rd day.

“The longer we wait, the greater the risk of bleeding is large,” said minister Barrette. First, physically, the person will complain of some symptoms, and an ultrasound later we will see that the abortion has not occurred, the pregnancy will not have been interrupted.”