PIP: With the possibility that the US Supreme Court will overturn or "substantially erode" Roe v. Wade, interest has focused on two alternative abortion techniques: RU-486, the French "abortion pill," and "menstrual extraction," a self-taught procedure performed up to the 8th week of pregnancy. RU-486 is legally available in only a few countries. In France, a woman signs a lengthy consent form and waits a week under French abortion law before receiving 3 200-milligram tablets of RU-486. RU-486 causes an extended, heavy, and somewhat painful menstruation by blocking receptors for progesterone, which prevents the uterine lining from growing; the lining sloughs off, carrying the embryo with it. 2 days later she returns to the clinic and receives an injection or vaginal suppository of prostaglandin to stimulate uterine contractions and increase the effectiveness of RU-486 from 85% to 95%. A week later, she returns for a checkup. RU-486 is a popular choice; complications compare favorable with standard vacuum-aspiration abortions. Proponents argue for RU-486 in the US for research in areas from AIDS to breast cancer. However, the US Food and Drug Administration has an import alert on the drug, prohibiting its entry into the US. Despite the simplicity of this drug, it still fails to guarantee access for private, easily accessible, inexpensive alternatives to traditional abortion services. Although home-performed abortions are illegal in most places, menstrual extraction allows a woman complete control of her body at home via a sterilized cannula attached to as plastic tube that feeds through a hole in a rubber stopper into a jar; 2nd hole holds a tube with a syringe. The cannula is inserted into the uterus, as helper creates suction with the syringes, and observes the uterine contents flush through the clear tubing and into the jar.