Japan to decide on abortion pill after panel's agreement

Only a lady can decide such a thing.

It’s about time that Japan moved into the 21st Century and gave women this option. How odd to see Japan going forward and the USA in reverse.

Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but a surgical procedure is currently the only option and consent is usually required from a spouse or partner.

What kind of draconian, backwards rule is this? What about in cases of rape - does the victim have to ask their rapist for consent to abort a baby they didn't even ask for?

Emergency contraception cannot currently be bought without a doctor's approval in Japan.

Not being able to buy Plan B over the counter makes the entire pill null and void. The word is in the name - "emergency" aka ASAP. If you have to make a doctor's appointment to get access to emergency contraception, you're already at higher risk of getting pregnant. What asinine lawmakers thought this way the way to go?

Abortion is legal in Japan up to 22 weeks, but a surgical procedure is currently the only option and consent is usually required from a spouse or partner.

I know from personal experiences that this is just in principal only and that there are few, if any, hospitals or women's clinics that actually "require" it.

Anything to prevent young single women having babies in combini toilets is a good thing. As well as baby hatches.

When it comes to the issue of a woman's rights regarding abortion, and while it's not perfect, Japan is further "ahead" of things than it's benefactor across the ocean!

For as conservative as Japanese people are, they are pragmatic about this issue and it's nice to see that finally this becomes another option for women.

What kind of draconian, backwards rule is this? What about in cases of rape - does the victim have to ask their rapist for consent to abort a baby they didn't even ask for?

As I noted, this is more of a guideline than what actually happens in practice. Many times the abortion in completed before the partner is even aware that the woman was pregnant.

Surgical abortions are not covered by Japanese public health insurance and can cost around 100,000 to 200,000 yen.

It's unlikely that doctors will approve of the abortion pill without some kind of compensation for this loss of income. In fact, this lucrative little business was the main reason certain forms of contraceptive were highly restricted for so long. Of course, the stated excuse was safety of women and that will be the reason here that doctors will be able to cut in.

Hopefully this doesn't get tangled up in the hysteria over population decline.

I disagree with ending a baby's life, but at least the abortion pill is far more humane, especially if use very early in pregnancy, than regular abortion which is brutal, especially in later stages.

I believe it is the right of any woman with all of her mental faculties to choose an abortion. I also believe that the biological father has a right to know.

I also believe that if a single woman chooses to keep that child, then the biological father has the right to choose to support that child, but the mother decides which last name to give the child. The government must also always recognize the child as an heir to the biological father's and mother's estate regardless of their involvement in the child's life. The same should be true for adoptions! Finally, husbands should not be obliged to care for children their wives have from extramarital affair during the marriage.

Now that is fair! Everyone has equal options. Also, their decisions will follow them the rest of their lives whether they want it to or not, so personally responsibility becomes more important.

I am aware this sounds very callous but if this pill contributes to stopping babies being dumped in the garbage and left in coin lockers it is a good thing.

@Concerned Citizen So do you consider a rapist as the father to have rights. Do you think he’s going to come forward after raping a women? Do you call that being responsible? Are you really a concerned citizen?

Only a lady can decide such a thing

I beleive the father also has rights and a say. After all, he's also responsible.

after panel's agreement

Can't wait to hear what the "panel" says. I'm sure it will be ten men over the age of 55 that will be deciding this. The suspense is killing.......no one.

deanzaZZR - Am I the only one confused by these two statements from the article?

Probably.

It seems like it's already available in the country. The question now is whether a woman needs a doctor signed prescription.

Nope. "Abortion pills" and "Emergency contraception" are two completely different things.

*"Japan's health ministry will soon decide whether to make abortion pills available for the first time after the proposal cleared a major hurdle with endorsement by a government panel on Friday."*

*"Emergency contraception** cannot currently be bought without a doctor's approval in Japan. It is also the only medicine that must be taken in front of a pharmacist to stop it being sold on the black market."*

The former aborts an unwanted pregnancy, after the women is already pregnant. It basically induces a miscarriage, to put it simply.

The latter prevents the pregnancy in the first place, as long as the pill is taken relatively soon after intercourse. Requiring a visit to a doctor for a prescription can prolong that period, and in some cases make it impossible for the woman to get the medication in time. (Not to mention the humiliation of having to take it in front of the pharmacist. Such nonsense.)

@garypen: Good explanation, the lack of posters sex education here is appalling.

I hope we finally see OTC sale of the Morning After Pill approved AND the supervised use of the abortion pill approved at the same time this year, dragging Japan into the modern world along with most of Europe, Asia and Oceania.

As for the USA... Who knows what's going on there. The old blokes THERE are more of a problem than here.

The woman is the one who decides about her own body..

odd to see Japan going forward and the USA in reverse.

Nowadays it is so normal to see how the US continues to go backwards..

As for the USA... Who knows what's going on there. The old blokes THERE are more of a problem than here.

It's only the old blokes from one particular political party. The vast majority of "blokes" of the other major party, both young and old, believe in a woman's right to choose.

To complicate matters, the legality has been thrown back to the states by the members of the Supreme Court appointed by that one particular party, who lied during their confirmation hearings that they would never do just that. (A woman's right to choose was previously Constitutionally protected nationwide for decades.)

Many state governments are controlled by that particular party. So, we're now seeing draconian anti-abortion laws put into place in those states. They're even trying to make it illegal for women in those states to go to states where it is legal, for such care. They're trying to create little Gileads.

I disagree with ending a baby's life, but at least the abortion pill is far more humane,

No one is advocating for the end of a baby's life. And if you think a fetus is a baby, then you are wrong. No fetus is going to live outside the womb the day after conception! (Day after pill)

And these pills are used when the woman finds out she is pregnant and wishes to terminate the pregnancy, there are ZERO babies being killed.

You and so many other anti-womens rights folks have been brainwashed into believing the semantic hogwash about these fetuses being "babies", they are not!

Concerned Citizen - I beleive the father also has rights and a say. After all, he's also responsible.

He should be responsible financially, if the woman decides to continue the pregnancy. (That includes sharing the cost of terminating the pregnancy, if the woman chooses that route.)

But, he should have zero rights as to what that women decides to do with her body, and the fetus gestating therein.

Am I the only one confused by these two statements from the article? It seems like it's already available in the country. The question now is whether a woman needs a doctor signed prescription.

Japan's health ministry will soon decide whether to make abortion pills available for the first time after the proposal cleared a major hurdle with endorsement by a government panel on Friday.

&

Emergency contraception cannot currently be bought without a doctor's approval in Japan. It is also the only medicine that must be taken in front of a pharmacist to stop it being sold on the black market.

 I beleive the father also has rights and a say. 

There is a difference between a father and sperm donor, and not all sperm donors are fathers! Oh and the guy is not a father until the child is born.

Only a lady can decide such a thing

I beleive the father also has rights and a say. After all, he's also responsible.

It's unlikely that doctors will approve of the abortion pill without some kind of compensation for this loss of income

Wrong! Abortions are not covered by insurance and are 100% elective procedures. Doctors dont WANT to perform abortions, and I have never heard of a doctor that does them for the money!

They WILL support it, as it prevents them from having to do an invasive procedure!

Doctors arent investment bankers just looking for a buck! The overwhelming majority care about people more than money! Your comment is rather crude!

Health officials should be concerned about any possible harmful of effects of such drugs which could weaken healthy organs . . .?

Dreadful idea.