Throughline by Jill Filipovic

The Promise and Peril of Abortion Pills

The article examines how abortion pills, especially the mifepristone‑misoprostol combo, have transformed reproductive health worldwide. It traces their spread from early use in Europe to clandestine access in Brazil, Indonesia, Pakistan, Kenya and other restrictive settings. The piece highlights a dramatic drop in unsafe‑abortion deaths—from 70,000 annually in 2009 to roughly 29,000 today—while noting that maternal mortality overall fell 40% in the same period. Despite progress, access remains uneven, and the narrative warns of ongoing legal and supply‑chain risks.