Abortion Pill Deaths.

[Duke]

From the main page

The abortion pill (RU-486), or "day after pill" as it's commonly referred to, has claimed the lives of two more U.S. women. This brings the number of deaths from the drug up to seven since it's FDA approved release in 2000.

These latest fatalities have added fuel to the fire of the already controversial drug asking that it be pulled from the market.

Since it's release, RU-486 is responsible for over 560,000 medicated abortions in the U.S. alone.

[Vautrin]

You can only compare with the stat of the number of mothers who died, while giving birth - when the pregnancy was not planned. I can assure you, that that number must be hundreds, if not thousands times higher than 7 since the year 2000.

Plus, and this is a lot harder to measure, what about illegal abortions itself in the US? Using a knitting needle /pin (or whatever those are called)? My guess is that 7 is a very low number, certainly compared to the alternatives.

[Duke]

I fully understand what your saying and that's why I posted this topic because I'm interested to see the conclusion it draws.

See, I'm both pro and con on this topic (on the fence as it were) so I'm very curious to see what others feel.

From my own POV, I have a problem with using a pill for birth control after sex yet I believe it's better than the "home made abortions" as you listed above.

I also think that it can be a benefit to not bring a child into this world if your not ready but also struggle with it at the same time as I wasn't ready for my daughter and refuse to imagine my life without her.

Contraception after sex is just a bad idea which I guess is at the root of MHO. It does nothing but allow a woman/couple to take no responsibility for life and STD's. I also worry about the path we're taking as a society because this isn't natural, thus mortality. As a species at the top of the food chain, I often wonder if we're taking it too far in the wrong directions and really screwing with our species mortality.

Maybe this post isn't making a lot of sense but I guess the end message is this, I'm not sure if I should be optimistic or fearful about the future for my daughter, my grandkids, great grandkids and beyond.

[Vautrin]

The best thing is decent sex education. Give people a sense of the responsibilities, and what everything does and does not do.

It really boggles my mind, why a lot of Americans are subjected to the preaching of abstinence. A method, which has proven time and again, to be the least effective form of birth control in the long run, plus creating the greatest ignorance on what each method does.

Create openness. But in the US, the sex-obsessed society par excellence, that is an impossibility. Remember the reactions on Nipple-gate? A lot of people have extreme double standards with regards to sex and sexuality. Pretending they do not exist, is only making the problem worse.

[Vautrin]

Will respond later to this thread on your other points Duke. I will have to go now.

[Merika]

All I can say is that I bet WalMart is saying "I told you so."

Women should take birth control if they plan to be sexually active. Not resort to something this drastic that hasn't been proven safe.

BTW Duke: There was a big discussion on this pill in the political section where most people voiced their personal opinions.

[Duke]

Well now we have another discussion, more to the point ;-)

[twinkle]

Originally Posted by Merika

All I can say is that I bet WalMart is saying "I told you so."

Women should take birth control if they plan to be sexually active. Not resort to something this drastic that hasn't been proven safe.

BTW Duke: There was a big discussion on this pill in the political section where most people voiced their personal opinions.

Actually, in the Elle or Cosmopolitan issue two months ago there was an at least 4 page article proclaiming the emergency pill as the sole birth control method.

Oppinions are mingled, I'm not saying that it's the perfect choice, but given that I tend to mess up with my pill, when I have a big doubt, I do want to be able to use this pill, just to be sure.

It's an option women should have, no matter what. My 2 cents, anyway.

[Star]

I voted it should be pulled from the shelves.

I think this pill should only be given to women of rape. it shouldn't be used as birth control IMO.

we have a ton of safe birth control available, why resort to medicated abortions?

people need to use condoms - number one! not only for pregancy but also for protection against STD's. that doesn't seem to be of a concern to people anymore and that is SO irresponsible.

we have the pill, the patch and the shots. When I wasn't ready to have babies, i took the pill. I also used condoms so I wouldn't catch anything i'd regret later.

It's called being responsible sexually.

[Weiser]

what if the condoms break? i've had way too many break on me. i vote no.

[Vautrin]

Originally Posted by Weiser

what if the condoms break?

The solution to that may be practiced in Ireland: claim you are raped, but have no clue as to who did it. Then you can get a medicinal abortion, and everything is fine and dandy.

Unless of course, your national law does not allow for such a thing - or you can't live with the thought that you might accidentally send your bf / husband to jail for a number of years ...

[Star]

Originally Posted by Weiser

what if the condoms break? i've had way too many break on me. i vote no.

I've never had a condom break on me, ever and I still use them with hubby. I don't understand how these condoms could break a lot.

[Vautrin]

Too much pressure. Fault when producing them (one of the main reasons bc pills can fail, even when taking these pills to perfection, with no physical condition causing lessened effect to the hormones).

What about getting pregnant when the bc-pill itself fails?