The Multiplicity of Abortion Pills: Considering the Public Constructions of ru486 in Sweden

Abstract To this day, abortion pills are a contentious technology – used freely and legally in some countries while prohibited in others. Previous scholarship has shown abortion pills to be difficult to integrate into medical systems. Available since the early 1990s, little has been written on the early adoption of abortion pills in Sweden, one of the first countries to register the compound ru 486 for use. This is remarkable if we consider what is at stake when introducing new abortion technologies – namely, the conditions for gender equality and the very tangible implications for maternal health. This article examines the Swedish process of acquiring ru 486: mapping the varied actors invested in its use, and analysing the different constructions of abortion pills that were made in these networks. It argues that earlier reproductive research initiatives and their extensive press coverage helped to make registration possible for ru 486 in the early 1990s. Comparisons between the constructions of ru 486 in Canada and the U.S. illustrate a few key differences between the countries and show why, despite many similarities, Sweden was the first to officially acquire the drug.