A clinic in Civic is one of eight centres being considered for a pilot scheme to offer RU-486 as an option for women who want to terminate their pregnancy.

Marie Stopes International Australia is preparing to apply to the Therapeutic Goods Administration for approval to use the so called abortion pill RU-486.

Marie Stopes International Australia’s strategy marketing manager Amanda Ralph said yesterday the organisation would run a pilot program if the TGA accepted the application.

Cairns gynaecologist Dr Caroline de Costa is set to become the first doctor in Australia to dispense the drug from next month after she received approval from the TGA and imported 40 pills from New Zealand.

Ms Ralph said yesterday Marie Stopes International Australia was also preparing to apply for TGA approval to provide RU-486. The proposal was to initially distribute RU-486 at one of its centres before making the abortion pill available to women in other areas.

Marie Stopes International Australia has eight centres in Australia that offer sexual and reproductive health services to men and women including vasectomies, abortions, contraception and check-ups for sexually transmitted infections.

There is one clinic in Canberra, two in Western Australia, two in Queensland and three in NSW.

Ms Ralph said the organisation was yet to select a site for the RU-486 pilot project and Canberra had not been ruled out. The ACT was the first and only Australian jurisdiction to have removed abortion from the criminal code.

RU-486, also know as mifepristone, causes a medical abortion which simply means there is no surgery involved in the pregnancy termination.

Ms Ralph said RU-486 was used in several other countries and experiences in France, Sweden and Britain showed access to the pill did not drive up the abortion rate.

Instead, women who wanted to terminate their pregnancy had increasingly opted for medical abortion for a range of reasons.