The lack of access to abortion in many parts of Austria is a major burden for many women. The right to an abortion must not be dependent on financial means or place of residence.
This is why making the abortion pill (Mifegyne) available in pharmacies without a prescription is an important and necessary measure.
Parliament should therefore adopt the (constitutional) legal measures for the over-the-counter distribution of the abortion pill.
Justification for the demand for prescription-free dispensing of the abortion pill
The abortion pill is a new technology that has been available since 1988 and has since proven to be very effective and extremely safe. It triggers an abortion which is identical and indistinguishable from a spontaneous abortion. Women have been managing spontaneous abortions themselves for around 10,000 years and seek medical help if they need it. Therefore, there is no reasonable medical argument for managing a medical abortion differently from a spontaneous abortion.
Consequently, the abortion pill is already available on the internet, e.g. www.womenonweb.org and in India over the counter in drugstores, the preparation “Unwanted kit®”. The question arises as to why women in Europe are denied this form of self-determination with the current restrictions on access to the abortion pill and why they are still being patronized based on a social image and a role for women that dates back to the monarchy and fascism.
This has massive negative consequences for women and we see this every day. The lack of abortion care close to home in large parts of Austria forces women to travel unnecessarily and take on other burdens. The abortion pill is a good example of the fact that there are not too few doctors who perform abortions, but too many restrictions that make it impossible for women to access them close to home. This is why making the abortion pill available without a prescription is an important and necessary measure.
From a medical point of view, it is safe and from the point of view of women’s self-determination, it is long overdue.