Psychology of Human Development
Abstract
The aim of this research is to discuss the abortion pill RU 486. Where and when the abortion pill was first approved and how the pill is used. The effectiveness, the side effects and how safe it is, is also discussed. It also talks about why women choose to get a medical abortion over the surgical abortion method; the advantages of using this method.
The Abortion Pill RU 486: Yes or No? When a woman gets the news of being pregnant, it is suppose to be a joyous occasion, right? Most of the time it is, but this is not always the case. Imagine that a woman is already a mother of two children, who is not financially set or doesn’t have the means or help to …show more content…
By September of 2000, the Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion pill for sale in the U.S. According to Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research group, 20% of all abortions in the U.S. are now “medical” abortions which require no equipment and are far less training for physicians than the surgical option. “The drugs are 95% effective in ending pregnancies up until seven weeks according to the FDA, and are considered the best method for ending very early pregnancies” (Hass, 2011). Stacie Schultz (2000) of the U.S. News & World Report, states “the drug works by blocking the action of the naturally occurring hormone progesterone, which is crucial in the earliest stages of pregnancy, helping to build the lining of the uterus to support the fertilized egg. When it is blocked, the lining breaks down, and bleeding often begins. Misoprostol, which is an approved ulcer medicine, is given two days after the RU 486 (mifepristone). Misoprostol causes the uterus to contract and expel the fertilized egg. When it fails or causes excessive bleeding, doctors perform a surgical