Use Of Ru 486 Within A Year example essay topic

SH. thanks you 4) RU-486 is an effective pill-form alternative to a surgical abortion, and is also known as mifepristone. It was developed in 1980 by a French pharmaceutical company and was approved for use in France in September of 1988. The rest of Europe followed suit, adopting legalized use of RU-486 within a year. However, the United States at that time refused to legalize its use, due to safety issues and pro-life politics. Women and pro-choice groups smuggled the abortion-alternative into the United States for over a decade. In jhfljtdtdgckhgdkhdjhvc. jhfljkbgkjghv. hfjhfjhfljyhfvjyfglyhfvg. kufgljhc. kjhfof this drug, as side effects are very serious, ranging from minor cramping to death.

Just before President Bush was elected in 2000, he promised to overturn the FDA's approval. However, he has not been able to do so because of RU-486's fervent pro-choice backing. Mifepristone is a heaven-sent for pro-choice advocates. Generally, it is easier for a woman to terminate the life of her child with this drug. In 86 percent of counties in the nation, there is no abortion provider; RU-486 lessens the need for a provider, as only a distributor and gynecologist would be necessary. It can also be more private and less traumatic for the woman than a surgical abortion.

It is easy for the pro-choice side to rationalize their argument for RU-486. Pro-life supporters are upset with the progress and popularity of RU-486. They argue that it lessens the seriousness of an abortion; a woman can simply take a pill to make better a very serious and life-altering situation. They say that more women will not hesitate to have an abortion via this pill, which will lead to an increase in the number of aborted lives across the country.

They say abortion will become "mainstream". Pro-life supporter and very conservative Republican Pat Buchanan calls RU-486 a "human pesticide". Mifepristone is still legal in the United States and continues to be a popular option. Because of its dangers, however, there is much controversy that surrounds it. The fact that it's an abortion alternative is at times shadowed by its severe health consequences for the mother. Despite the FDA's eight year testing period for RU-486, its side effects are still grave.

Of women who have used the drug, 7.9 percent have had serious complications and 0.7 percent needed to be hospitalized. For this reason, the FDA is trying to tack on certain restrictions to make mifepristone safe for the woman. For two years after its approval, pro-life government officials pushed for harsh restrictions on RU-486 that would make it virtually impossible to obtain. They were basically unsuccessful. In February 2003, a group of senators introduced the "patient heath and safety act" that would again restrict the use of the drug. It would only allow doctors who were trained in surgical abortion procedures to prescribe mifepristone.

These physicians would have to have an ultrasound in order to date the pregnancy and be within an hour of an emergency room. Because RU-486 is an abortion, all the restrictions on medical abortions would still apply. For example, a minor could not use the drug without parental notification or permission, depending on the state, and the mandatory waiting periods would still apply. Just last week, on September 17, 2003, an 18-year-old girl died from complications following her use of RU-486.

She developed a life-threatening infection from portions of the fetus that remained after she took the pill. Her death is certain to spark the controversy surrounding mifepristone and perhaps move along restrictions regarding its use.