The Abortion Pill Archives - Page 3 of 7

Abortion pill’s creator calls it “an appalling psychological ordeal”

Edouard Sakiz, Chairman of Roussel Uclaf, the creators of the abortion pill sometimes called RU-486:

“As abortifacient procedures go, RU-486 is not at all easy to use. In fact it is much more complex to use than the technique of vacuum extraction. True, no anesthetic is required. But a woman who wants to end her pregnancy has to “live” with her abortion for at least a week using this technique. It’s an appalling psychological ordeal.”

Quoted in Renate Klein, Janice G Raymond, Lynette Dumble RU-486: Misconceptions, Myths and Moral (North Melbourne, Australia: Spinifex, 1991, 2013) Kindle edition

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Manufacturer: drug used with abortion pill is not meant for abortions, causes serious health risks

Mifeprex (mifepristone) (or RU-486) is the abortion pill. When it was first widely used, it failed to induce an abortion so often that abortionists began using a second drug Misoprostol or Cytotec, taken a few days after the first pill, to ensure the death and passage of the baby.

Searle, makers of Cytotec® (misoprostol) wrote a Press Release to Health Officials on August 23, 2000 saying that their drug was not meant to be used for abortion. It read:

“The purpose of this letter is to remind you that Cytotec administration by any route is contraindicated in women who are pregnant because it can cause abortion. Cytotec is not approved for the induction of labor or abortion.

Cytotec is indicated for the prevention of NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including aspirin)-induced gastric ulcers in patients at high risk of complications from gastric ulcer, e.g., the elderly and patients with concomitant debilitating disease, as well as patients at high risk of developing gastric ulceration, such as patients with a history of ulcer….

Searle has become aware of some instances where Cytotec, outside of its approved indication, was used as a cervical ripening agent prior to termination of pregnancy, or for induction of labor, in spite of the specific contraindications to its use during pregnancy.

Serious adverse events reported following off-label use of Cytotec in pregnant women include maternal or fetal death; uterine hyperstimulation, rupture or perforation requiring uterine surgical repair, hysterectomy or salpingo-oophorectomy; amniotic fluid embolism; severe vaginal bleeding, retained placenta, shock, fetal bradycardia and pelvic pain.”

Emphasis mine. Read the full letter here.

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Abortion by pill causes “considerable pain” says manufacturer of drug

“There is considerable pain with the procedure.”

Lester Hyman, a spokesman for the manufacture of RU-486, (the abortion pill) a Roussel–Uclaf

The drug also caused significant side effects:

“An analysis of adverse drug reactions done in 2006 found more than 600 serious side effects of the drug between 2000 and 2004. There were more than 200 serious or life-threatening hemorrhages and 46 instances of infection. 11 of 17 undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies ruptured…”

“RU-486: What You Don’t Know” Heritage House ’76 2014

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Doctors had reservations about the safety of the abortion pill

Although Planned Parenthood clinics throughout the country offer the abortion pill, other abortion providers were not overly enthusiastic about the abortion pill when it first came out. Although Planned Parenthood has always maintained that abortion pills are safe (despite the death of Holly Patterson and others) the way that the abortion pill was rushed through FDA trials has led to some providers being concerned about its safety. Here, a Planned Parenthood official complains about how slow providers were in providing the abortion pill.

“It’s disappointing that the pill is not moving faster and gaining wider acceptance, but the mind-set of health care providers is that they still need to be convinced this is a viable, safe alternative to surgical abortion.”

Mark Adler. vice president for Planned Parenthood of South Palm Beach and Broward Counties

“A year later, abortion pill proves no panacea” Palm Beach Post, 9-9-2001

Quoted by Life Dynamics

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RU486: Greatest Invention of the 20th Century?

George Grant, writing in 1992, talked about how pro-choice activists viewed the abortion pill:

Eleanor Smeal, president of the Feminist Majority Foundation says that RU-486 is a “truly remarkable” drug that has “amazing properties which hold tremendous promise for the benefit of women.” She also calls it “an historic breakthrough in medicine.”

….

Etienne–Emile Baulieu who was the chief developer of the abortion pill and an international spokesman for Planned Parenthood:

called the pill “the most important invention of the 20^th century.”

George Grant Grand Illusions: the Legacy of Planned Parenthood(Franklin, Tennessee: Adroit Press, 1988, 1992) 35

A pill that kills babies, puts women through hell, and endangers women’s lives and even kills them is not the most important invention of the 20th Century.

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Abortion textbook on the “products of conception” in an abortion by pill

From a medical textbook on how to do abortions:

“Involuntary viewing of the products of conception is not an issue during surgical abortions, but the patient needs to know that during a medical[pill] abortion she may see the products. Some women are not affected by viewing the tissue or even find it reassuring; others prefer not to see the tissue at all…

If the pregnancy is eight weeks or beyond, she may indeed see a tiny embryo. The presence or absence of human shape and extremities may have an important impact. After providing a description, ask what, if any, affect the information has on her and then validate her reaction.”

Maureen Paul, E Steve Lichtenberg, Lynn Borgatta, David Grimes, Philip G Stubblefield A Clinician’s Guide to Medical and Surgical Abortion (New York: Churchill Livingstone, 1999) 34

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Facts on the Abortion Pill: What you need to know Before you choose

This video gives some info on the abortion pill. It is a dramatization of a conversation between a womans seeking the pill and her doctor.

Know what to expect! Read first hand accounts of women who took the abortion pill here.

For information on the pill’s medical risks, go here. and here.

Fetal Development (how developed the embryo is)

Day 1: Sperm joins with ovum, to form one cell smaller than a grain of salt. The new life has inherited 23 chromosomes from each parent, 46 in all. This one cell contains the complex genetic blueprint for every detail of human development – the child’s sex, hair and eye color, height, skin tone

Days 3 – 4: The fertilized egg travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where the lining has been prepared for implantation

Days 5 – 9: During this time, the fertilized egg implants itself in the rich lining of the uterus and begins to draw nourishment.

Days 10 – 14: The developing embryo signals its presence through placental chemicals and hormones, preventing the mother from menstruating

Day 20: Foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and nervous system are already established

Day 21: The heart begins to beat

Day 28: The back bone and muscles are forming. Arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show.

Day 30: At 1 month old, the embryo is 10,000 times larger than the original fertilized egg – and developing rapidly. The heart is pumping increasing quantities of blood through the circulatory system. The placenta forms a unique barrier that keeps the mother’s blood separate while allowing food and oxygen to pass through to the embryo.

Day 35:5 Fingers can be discerned on the hand. The eyes darken as pigment is produced.

Day 40: Brain waves can be detected and recorded

Week 6: The liver is now taking over the production of blood cells, and the brain begins to control movement of muscles and organs. The mother is about to miss her 2nd period and has probably confirmed that she is pregnant.

Week 7: The embryo begins to move spontaneously. The jaw forms, including teeth buds in the gums. Soon the eyelids will seal to protect the embryo’s developing light-sensitive eyes, and will reopen at about the 7th month

Embryo: five weeks

Embryo: 6 weeks

Embryo: 7 weeks

For more info on fetal development go here.

Here is a video of an embryo at 6 weeks

If you are not sure whether or not to have an abortion, there are organizations that can help you. Birthright is a nonpolitical, nonpartisan organization that can help you find alternatives. They will not try to pressure you into making any kind of decision. CareNet is another group of pregnancy centers. These organizations may be able to help with things such as finding affordable prenatal care, finding a place to live if you are dealing with homelessness, on-site day care, job training, free baby items, free counseling and support groups, etc. Many of the centers offer free ultrasounds, whereas an abortion clinic or Planned Parenthood will charge you for an ultrasound. Since an ultrasound is recommended before a chemical (pill) abortion, you can save some money and safeguard your health. Some abortion clinics will give the pills without a sonogram – you should be aware that this presents a risk to your health. An ultrasound/sonogram is the only way to prove that the embryo is not implanted in the fallopian tube. If it is implanted there, surgery is necessary to remove an embryo in the fallopian tube or the tube may rupture, causing internal hemorrhaging and possibly death. In fact, several women have died after having abortion procedures which cleared out the womb but did not remove the fetus/embryo from the fallopian tube. The women thought they were no longer pregnant, but the fallopian tube ruptured leading to their deaths. You can find their stories in this section, which documents deaths from legal abortion..

14 women, in the US alone, have died from infections after taking the abortion pill. Holly Patterson was one of them.

Also, read about the psychological risks of abortion here. This page summarizes recent research about this.

All the information on this page is provided not to convince you to make a certain decision, but because a woman like you has a right to know exactly what is going on in her own body. Women should not be kept in the dark about potential complications of abortion or the development of the embryo/fetus. Knowledge is power, and it is better to know these facts before you choose.

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Abortion by Pill: One Woman’s Story from Marie Claire

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel told the story of her abortion by pill in Marie Claire. She was pro-choice and thought she would have no problems.

She supported the use of the abortion pill and thought it was a good thing

“From the moment it was approved in 2000, I believed in the abortion pill. Finally! Abortion would finally become what it always should have been: a private medical matter between a woman and her doctor. It held the promise of swift, at home termination. There would be no more gauntlets of protesters at clinics, because who would know which physicians were dispensing the pills? Even better, the pill would keep abortion accessible at a time when fewer gynecologists were willing to perform them out of fear of attacks.”

Dworkin – McDaniel eventually was faced an unplanned pregnancy. According to her, when she became pregnant, she was using cocaine and would “work all day, and party, party, party all night.”

She worried that her drug use would cause medical problems for the baby:

“No matter what I did from this point on, there would always be a chance that the baby would have problems – maybe physical ones, maybe psychological issues. I wasn’t willing to roll the dice with another life.”

“There was the surgical option of course. I’d had one in college (so you think I would’ve learned this lesson already) and I dreaded the needle that would be used to numb my cervix.”

“The Mifeprex literature described some cramping and bleeding, “similar to or greater than a normal, heavy period.” This sounded far more appealing than surgical abortion. A few pills, a couple of cramps, and it would all be over. We could move on with our lives.”

“Clinic staffers had directed me to insert the tablets into my vagina in the morning so I’d have the day to recover. I envisioned recuperating on the couch with some uncomfortable but bearable cramps and soothing myself with s bad daytime TV.”…

I never made it to the couch.

“Nothing – not the drug literature, the clinic doctor, not even my own gyno – had prepared me for the searing, gripping, squeezing pain that ripped through my belly 30 minutes later. I couldn’t even form words when Stewart [her boyfriend] called to check on me. It was all I could do to gasp, “Come home! Now!” For 90 minutes, I was disoriented, nauseated, and, between crushing waves of contractions, that I imagine were close to what labor feels like, racing from the bed to the bathroom with diarrhea.”

Then, just as quickly, it was over. The next night, I started bleeding. I bled for 14 days. A follow-up ultrasound confirmed that I’d aborted. And that’s when the problems really began.

I had been prepared for the possibility that the pill wouldn’t work and I’d still need a surgical abortion – that happens in about 5 to 8 percent of cases. I also knew that I might bleed so heavily I need surgery to stop it… [But] what blindsided me, apart from being battered by the mifepristone, with a huge, cystic boils that soon covered my neck, shoulders, and back. I was also overcome by fatigue – an utter lack of ability to do anything more strenuous than sleep or lie on the couch. My brain felt so fuzzy – English seemed like a 2^nd language, and I couldn’t work. On top of all that came depression; I sobbed constantly. I wouldn’t leave the house. I stopped showering.

It was only when I described my symptoms to my gynecologist that I discovered my experience wasn’t all that unusual. (The Mifeprex literature didn’t even mention it) “I think it’s underreported, but probably one in 3 women have dramatic side effects,” he told me. My body was in total chaos – pregnancy hormones clashing with anti-pregnancy hormones clashing with stress hormones. “I’ve seen a lot of women go through it – I don’t want to call it postpartum, but post event melancholy that’s more dramatic than people want to admit.” He prescribed antidepressants. “One day, you’ll feel just like your old self.” It took 9 months.”

Dworkin – McDaniel describes going back to the clinic and talking to one of the clinic workers:

“We could have told you it wasn’t going to be easy,” a clinic staffer noted when I rattled off my complaints during my follow-up.

Why didn’t she speak up sooner?”

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel “BETRAYED BY A PILL” Marie Claire (US), Jul2007, Vol. 14 7, p184-186

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The New England Journal of Medicine on RU-486

New England Journal of Medicine article on RU-486 (or medical) abortions:

“Medical [by pill] abortion is associated with higher rates of prolonged bleeding then in surgical abortion, the rate of use analgesic drugs is greater… Moreover, medical abortion has a lower rate of success than surgical abortion… Medical abortion requires more clinic visits than surgical abortion… And it should be offered only by well-trained clinicians who can provide surgical treatment in the event of a failed abortion or excessive bleeding. Women who choose medical abortion must have access to a specialized center were suction curettage is available, should heavy bleeding occur and blood transfusion be required.”

Christin–Maitre S, Bouchard P, Spitz IM. Medical Termination of Pregnancy, New England Journal Of Medicine 2000 March 30; 342 (13): 946 – 956 P954

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Abortionist: Doctors who give RU-486 should have surgical access

From an interview with an abortion provider:

Interviewer: The most recent controversy to the abortion rights activists is that the FDA is now talking about limiting RU-486’s access when it does become available, by requiring special licensing of those dispensing the pill and that they be within a certain distance of a hospital. Do you think these proposed hurdles are justified?

Ab: yes, to some extent. If a patient begins to bleed heavily during a medical abortion, the patient might need surgical intervention. The uterus needs to be evacuated so we can clamp down and stop the bleeding. If everyone out there is prescribing RU-486 to people who do not have surgical access, then there’s bound to be some kind of a problem.”

David Morton, “Anonymous Abortion Provider” July 12-July 18. 2000 Alternative Weekly

Pro-Choice activists are adamantly opposed to regulating RU-486 and requiring doctors and clinics who dispense it to have surgical facilities available.

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