While debate still rages in the US over the repeal of Roe v Wade, a much less noisy argument is unfolding in Japan over the legalisation of so-called medically induced abortions.

In May, a senior health ministry official told parliament it was finally set to approve an abortion pill manufactured by British pharmaceutical company Linepharma International. But he also said that women will still need to “gain the consent of their partner” before the pills can be administered – a stipulation pro-choice campaigners have called patriarchal and outdated.

In Japan, a country with a poor record on gender equality, has a history of being extremely slow to approve drugs related to women’s reproductive health. And the contraceptive pill still comes with restrictions, making it expensive and difficult to use.

Getting an abortion pill could also prove difficult and costly – estimated to be about $700 (£500) as it is likely to involve being admitted to a hospital or clinic – something the medical establishment in Japan says is necessary to protect women’s health.

“In Japan, after taking the abortion pill you will have to be kept in hospital so we can monitor the patient. It will take more time than a traditional surgical abortion,” Dr Tsugio Maeda, deputy head of the Japan Gynaecological Association, told the BBC.

“The maternal health protection act says an abortion must be carried out in a medical facility. So unfortunately under the current law we can’t sell the abortion pill over the counter. It would be illegal,” Dr Tsugio added. Female sexual health campaigners say this has less to do with medical science and more to do with the medical establishment protecting a lucrative business.

Ms Asuka, a sexual health campaigner who runs her own NGO, says there is still huge resistance from the male dominated Japanese establishment to making abortion easier. The argument goes that if you make it easier for women to have abortions, then the number of women choosing to do so will increase. So, they make it a difficult and expensive process. Ultimately, Ms Asuka says, the answer lies in better sex education and in Japanese women taking control of contraception, rather than relying on men to use condoms.

In Europe, the contraceptive pill is the most common form of birth control. In Japan, it is used by just 3% of women.

In many European countries this is now the most common form of terminating a pregnancy – pills account for more than 90% of abortions in Sweden, and around 70% in Scotland.

Source: www.bbc.com