When the abortion pill first became legally available to women in the United States, abortion-rights supporters envisioned significant transformation across both political and medical terrains. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration in September of 2000, the abortion pill was obtainable through qualified medical professionals one month later. Though touted as a safer alternative to the dangers of surgery, only a statistically small percentage of women in the United States now opt for non-surgical pregnancy termination through medication.
The abortion pill is actually a combination of two pills, known generically as mifepristone and misoprostol. Both pills are used in two separate stages of the medical abortion process.
The Abortion Debate Continues
The introduction of the drugs was expected to defuse much of the volatility and divisiveness of the national abortion debate. Americans overwhelmingly favor first-trimester abortions over termination performed in the latter stages of a pregnancy. Medical (otherwise called non-surgical) abortions can only be accomplished if the pregnancy is approximately eight weeks along or less.
Once the abortion pills became available, it was believed that women would no longer be targeted by protesters while entering or leaving abortion clinics. The fear of violence would then be lessened, not only for women having abortions, but also for doctors performing the procedures. Physicians could easily prescribe the pills within their offices, and women would then return home without the public visibility of going to a clinic. Also, without the danger of invasive surgery, women would avoid tears in the wall of the uterus and the risk of infection. As a result, clinics would no longer be a symbol of the abortion debate, and abortion would be brought back into the medical mainstream.
However, use of the abortion pills has not increased in the manner once predicted. After a decade of abortion-pill availability in Europe, use of the non-surgical method rose to at least half as much as surgery by abortion. Following introduction of the abortion-pill combination of drugs, the United States has reached the ten-year mark of usage without the same result.
Abortion's Steady Decline
Also counter to early predictions, the availability of abortion medication did not increase the number of abortions being performed. Overall, abortion rates have continued to drop since 2000. Fewer women seek abortions, and, consequently the number of clinics has also decreased in major urban areas. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, an abortion-rights group, in an article entitled "Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States," 87 percent of all U.S. counties an lack abortion provider. Women in rural areas are often faced with the possibility of traveling 100 miles or more to obtain an abortion. The advent of telemedicine programs, however, may provide rural women with greater accessibility to the non-surgical method of abortion. Telemedicine allows doctors to dispense medications remotely via secure computer connection with a videconference terminal to a patient many miles away.
Surgical Abortion Remains Primary Choice
Currently, women in the United States, whether in urban or rural areas, overwhelmingly choose surgical abortion over the longer , more involved non-surgical method. Medication abortions require separate appointments that span at least three weeks, and more than one medication to perform what surgery accomplishes in three minutes. It appears that in the matter of abortion, women favor the quickness and efficiency of surgery so they can return to their everyday lives sooner. Though the promised revolution never materialized, non-surgical abortion still remains a viable choice for women. When faced with a decision as important as abortion, medication abortion gives women another option they may choose based on their lifestyle and needs.
Source:
Guttmacher Institute, Facts on Induced Abortion in the United States, In Brief, New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2010
Sara Alexander - Journalism degree: Kent State University, Kent, Ohio Licenses: 20 states; Property & Casualty, mobile and manufactured home My heart ...
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