Abortion Pill Essay Research Paper 1 Problem

Abortion Pill Essay, Research Paper

1. Problem Statement

Approval of the abortion pill RU-486, also recognized as mifepristone, has put abortion back into the spotlight. This has stirred up controversial issues of reproductive rights in America, and a growing concern for the potential impact of RU-486 on the well being of our society’s morals and values.

2. Facts and Analysis

A Brief History

Mifepristone, formerly known as RU-486, provides women with a medical alternative to surgical abortion. Mifepristone is an antiprogesterone drug that blocks receptors of progesterone, a key hormone in the establishment and maintenance of human pregnancy. Mifepristone induces spontaneous abortion when administered in early pregnancy and followed by a dose of misoprostol, a prostaglandin.

Researchers have discovered many potential uses for mifepristone beyond pregnancy termination. Uses include treatment of breast cancer, Cushing’s syndrome, endometriosis, glaucoma, meningioma, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, uterine fibroids, and the induction of labor. In very low doses, mifepristone may even be used to prevent pregnancy as a method of emergency contraception within. In higher doses, of course, it can be used to terminate pregnancy. Other existing emergency contraception cannot be used to terminate pregnancy because they are not abortifacients.

Mifepristone offers women another choice for abortion. It causes a miscarriage and can be used earlier than surgical abortion. Medical abortion is totally non-invasive, meaning there’s no surgery, and no anesthesia is necessary.

Like everything in life, there are some down sides to the use of RU-486. One can assume that it will make abortion easier and more available for a lot of women. However, mifepristone doesn’t get rid of all of the discomfort that can go along with an abortion. Similar to a miscarriage, it can cause side effects including nausea, vomiting, bleeding, and heavy cramping. If the pills don’t work, a surgical abortion will be necessary.

Unintentional pregnancies statistically bring a host of economic, emotional, and physical ills to mother and baby. About half of the unintended pregnancies in Washington State are aborted, according to the state Department of Health. That rate is consistent with the rest of the US. Even though there is a demand for abortion providers, many doctors have remained fearful of protestors and violence by antiabortion activists who target abortion providers. Doctors do not want to be subject to violence against themselves, their staff, and even their families to the actions of anti-choice people. A few physicians have already been killed in this country over abortion, giving many potential providers reason to be concerned.

Today, there aren’t enough providers in the US who offer abortion services to them women who need/desire them. Women who have chosen to have an abortion have, at times, been faced with harassment and intimidation from picketers. Physicians who provide abortion services have worked in fear of assassination, arson, assault and sabotage from abortion foes. It is possible that Mifepristone may assist in solving this shortage, since one may assume that a lot more doctors would be willing to perform abortions medically than they would surgically. The drug’s availability through private doctors’ offices might make it much harder for antiabortion activists to target abortion providers, keeping all individuals involved at a greater distance from danger.

Many individuals have speculated that when mifepristone becomes widely available, early surgical abortion as practiced today will be chosen less frequently by eligible women. Potential effects of such a change include the following:

? More providers may be willing to offer the pharmacological regimen than currently offer surgical abortion services.

? The substitution of medical for surgical abortion may reflect a shift toward earlier pregnancy termination.

These points may be positive or negative, depending on one’s attitude towards abortion as a choice.

3. Possible Solutions

One viewpoint that an individual can have on the release of RU-486 is that it is another form of legalized murder. Since RU-486 does, in fact, terminate a pregnancy, it is understandable that some people will consider the pills no different from chemical murder weapons. There is no denying that the pills destroy an unborn life. This is the first drug approved by FDA that is intended to kill people, therefore, a solution would be to outlaw the drug entirely.

Another possible viewpoint on the acceptance of RU-486 is that it will only fuel anti-choice violence. It has been demonstrated in the past that any and all individuals affiliated with the abortion procedure is subject to being put into danger. Since 1990, over a thousand acts of violence against clinics have occurred. However, women who have taken the pill have reported feeling more comfortable with the procedure and less traumatized. Access to non-surgical abortions may make it much harder for anti-abortion protesters to target abortion providers, in turn making the procedure safer for the individuals involved. This observation leads us to a third viewpoint, that RU-486 may make abortion safer for women.

Its possible that RU-486 may allow more privacy and give

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