RU-486 The Abortion Pill

1. RU-486The Abortion Pill As Presented By: Fariah Siddiqui

2. What Is RU-486? The Basics: • RU-486 is also known by a variety of different names including: • Mifepristone (generic name) • Mifegyne (marketing name in Europe) • Mifeprex (marketing name in the US) • The “Early Option” pill (euphemized name) • Essentially, RU-486 is an alternative chemical abortion method that terminates pregnancy in women up to nine weeks pregnant. • Not to be confused with Birth Control pills, RU-486 is not a contraceptive, because it is obviously taken after the knowledge of a pregnancy, not a way of avoiding it.

3. Origins • 1980: Created by Dr. Etienne-Emile Baulieu from the RousselUclaf pharmaceutical company (the “RU” part of the name). • 1983: The drugs were tested in various medical clinics across Europe for almost 15 years and eventually, the FDA gave permission for initial US clinical testing. • 1988: Public distribution of RU-486 took place in France, but because of anti-abortion protestors and death threats, the government took it off of the market after just 2 days. • 1993: In the US, Bill Clinton lifted the ban (instated by President Bush Sr.) on the personal use of RU-486, allowing full distribution and manufacturing rights for all antiprogestins as birth control. • 1996: The FDA issued an approval acknowledging the safety and efficiency of the drug.

4. 1999: Most European countries had approved the full public use of RU-486 with over 620,000 women using mifepristone as an early option. • September 28, 2000: The FDA approved the pill for final distribution and it became first available in December 2000. • Currently: RU-486 is distributed by Danco Laboratories under the name Mifeprex in the United States. http://www.prolifelouisiana.org/uploads/images/ru486.jpg http://www.democrats.org.au/images/campaigns/reproductiverights/RU486vViagra.gif

5. Hormone Involvement • Mifeprex is an artificial steroid that blocks the effective action of the hormone progesterone and therefore halts the further development of the embryo. • During early pregnancy, progesterone is vital to nourish the embryo and suppress uterus contractions that might dislodge to growing embryo. • In a sense, the embryo is starved and is shaken off the lining of the uterus and dispensed from the body along with the uterus lining. http://8e.devbio.com/images/ch19/11.HMEM.01.thumb.jpg

6. The State of the Embryo • It is around the 5th week of pregnancy that a woman might realize that she’s pregnant because of the menstrual cycle, so that’s the earliest that Mifeprex can be used. • Around the 5th week of pregnancy, the embryo is approximately 2 mm. long. • Despite the miniscule body, the nervous system of the baby has already begun to grow considerably, with its heart beating by the 4th week. http://www.peek-a-boo-pregnancy.com/images/5-week-embryo.jpg

7. The 7th week is usually the ideal point to use Mifeprex, and the child would ideally have developed distinguishable arms and legs by this point. • The 9th week of pregnancy is the outer extreme of the effectiveness of Mifeprex and by this time, the child is about an inch long with even more distinguished body parts. • After the 10th week, abortion is considered illegal unless the mother’s life is at risk. http://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/wwwhuman/Stages/Images/Cst800.jpg http://www.c2g.ca/images/6weeks.jpg http://bellsouthpwp.net/m/a/maryb683/marybrown/graphics/6-7wkfetus.jpg

8. The Procedure At the clinic, a medical history is taken and a clinical exam and lab tests are performed. If eligible for medical abortion, the woman swallows the mifepristone pill. Two days later, during a second visit to the doctor's office, prostaglandin is given. As the drug begins to take effect, the woman experiences painful uterine contractions which begins to expel the baby. After approximately 2 weeks, it is vital for the woman to return the clinician and confirm her abortion. http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/abortion/images/ru_486.gif

9. Side Effects • In most reported cases, minor bleeding occurs during the abortion but in a specific trial, a woman lost between one-half to two thirds of her blood volume. • Since most of the abortion takes place within the privacy of your own home, immediate medical assistance and a doctor’s surveillance is not available. • Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, and painful cramping are the most common side effects and can be severe enough to cause hospitalization. • In the case of RU-486, psychological damage and guilt is the most reoccurring side effect of abortion. • Women who had aborted through RU-486 remain emotionally scarred because they actually see the tiny child after its been dispensed (floating in the shower, toilet, etc.) because by the 9th week, fists and other body parts have already developed.

10. Ethical Dilemma • The issue of abortion is considered one of the most passionately debated subjects in the United States since slavery. • Because both Pro-Life and Pro-Choice activists are equally headstrong about their beliefs, there is always a constant stalemate on abortion laws in the US. • The major issue: Is abortion the equivalent of murder? Is it ever justified? And should women have such readily available pills like Mifeprex to perform an abortion at their convenience? http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gcA0ZuKGkI8/SnZLncU9lUI/AAAAAAAAC70/SE-azDyGjTY/s400/Bloggerjohn_RU486.jpg http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/time/3673-1.jpg

11. Pro A considerably safer and more efficient way to have abortions. The woman simply takes a pill and can miscarry in the comfort and privacy of their own home with more control over their abortion. By making abortion illegal, many argue that the government technically has control over a woman’s body and takes away personal freedom. A fetus is not a technical human being. Abortion is terminating a pregnancy, not a baby. If medical treatments like RU-486 are banned, women turn towards illegal, underground clinics out of desperation and usually put themselves at risk of death or sterilization. http://lmno4p.org/images/cartoons/mcginnis/ru486.jpg

12. Anti-Abortionists main subject of debate is based on religious beliefs. The US separates church and state, so should religion even be a factor? 48% of pregnancies among American women are unintentional. Should they bring an unwanted child into an abusive and damaging family? If medical treatments like RU-486 are banned, women turn towards illegal, underground clinics out of desperation and usually put themselves at risk of death or sterilization. In cases on incest and rape, abortion should be an acceptable choice for the victim. In third world countries, the rising birth rate is a major issue, so with the help of abortion pills, overpopulation can be halted. progressivepuppy.com www.thoughttheater.com/ProLifeProChoice.jpg

13. Con Although its not “surgically” done, using the RU-486 pill is the equivalent of having an abortion. Medical termination is acceptable up to the 49th day of pregnancy (up to 63 days in many European countries). In all cases, the unborn fetus dies, but in many cases, the mother is in danger of fatal medical conditions (i.e. bleeding to death) due to the miscarriage and lack of medical personal. Aside from temporary physical damage, the emotional and moral feelings of guilt is a lasting effect. Makes having an abortion an everyday occurrence, and therefore lessens the value of life. Should a fetus with a heartbeat be considered any less of a living thing than the mother? In the case of saving the mother’s life, wouldn’t aborting a fetus be terminating something that had the POTENTIAL to live? Abortion is not an alternative means of contraception. 19 – 25% of women who received abortions have already had one or more previous abortions. When is the termination of a fetus considered murder? www.preciouslife.com/saimages/34.png

14. Perspective On the Situation So the issue remains…Is the use of RU-486 strictly a moral choice? Should others have any business to decide the outcome of your body? Although abortion is technically against doctors’ Hippocratic Oath, abortion should be made legal only in specific circumstances. In most European countries, abortion is legal only under situations of incest, rape, or if the mother’s health is in danger. In the United States, people strive too much towards each extreme: completely pro-life or completely pro-choice. Rather than having over passionate ideals, issues such as abortion should be taken in a logical approach. By no means should the use of abortion pills be a backup plan for irresponsible people, but under the supervision and consent of a doctor and the confirmation that the child is indeed a product of incest/rape, the use of Mifeprex should be legal and women should have the choice.

15. A woman's right to choose abortion is a "fundamental right" recognized by the US Supreme Court in the Jan. 22, 1973 case, Roe v. Wade. • 32 states currently enforce parental consent or notification laws for minors seeking an abortion. • The Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 prohibits abortion during late stages of pregnancy. The Legality of the Issue http://media.photobucket.com/image/ru%20486/jamesmichael7/RU-486cartoon.jpg

16. Things To Consider • Should the use of abortion pills be legal? • Is the termination of a fetus considered murder? • Should abortion pills like RU-486 be readily available for the general population to use? • Does the government (or random protestors) have any right to intervene in the ultimate fate of your life, your decisions and your child and then judge you for your personal choices? What’s your take on the situation?

17. Bibliography • ttp://www.balancedpolitics.org/abortion.htm • http://www.choicematters.org/articles/legal-abortion-arguments-pro-con/ • http://womensissues.about.com/od/reproductiverights/a/AbortionArgumen.htm • http://abortion.procon.org/ • http://www.nrlc.org/RU486/ru486info.html#What • http://www.prochoice.org/about_abortion/facts/facts_mifepristone.html • http://www.brown.edu/Courses/BI0032/repro/ru486.htm