Until 1992, most abortions were performed surgically. However, with the licencing of Mifegyne last year, women can now choose between surgery and medical induction. Mifegyne is a progesterone antagonist which if taken orally up to 9 weeks after conception, can induce abortion without surgery. This practice is done on an outpatient basis, and has caused gynaecologists and physicians involved in reproductive medicine to reconsider their attitudes towards abortion and the long-term medical implications. This book is based on a series of papers for the WHO Scientific Group meeting in Geneva in April 1994, on the induction of abortion.
