Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is delighted that Health Canada has removed the ultrasound restriction for prescribing the abortion pill.
The restriction required an ultrasound prior to prescribing the abortion pill Mifepristone prior to 63 days LMP (last menstrual period). Practitioners will use their medical judgement to assess dating for the early pregnancy, and to rule out ectopic pregnancy, and are encouraged to follow the SOGC Clinical Practice Guidelines for medical abortion.
This is one step in the right direction to continue to address barriers that make access to medical abortion challenging in regions where services are few and far between or plagued with long wait lists.