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Teaching with Solipsism:
New-New Math not Adding Up
By Tony Snow
Jewish World
Review,
10/4/00
NEWS REPORTS about the FDA's decision to approve RU-486 have been all
over the map, but one thing nearly everyone in the press seems to hope
is that the availability of the abortion pill will take the issue out
of politics.
When people say that, it sounds so reasonable, so neutral. But what
they are really saying is, "Maybe this will silence those annoying pro-lifers." Even
the Supreme Court once pronounced that abortion foes should simply shut
up. Hadn't the Supreme Court decided the matter?
But, of course, if this issue does not belong in the political realm,
what does?
The Food and Drug Administration has now joined an Orwellian world in
which words mean their
opposite. By statute, the agency must find before approving a drug or
device that it is "safe and effective." Manufacturers of other
drugs approved for use by pregnant women must prove that the
medicine will not harm the fetus. In the case of an abortion pill, things
get confused.
Mifepristone (RU-486) can rid a woman of an early pregnancy, so it is
mostly safe for her (we'll return to this subject in a moment), but it
is obviously anything but safe for the fetus. This did not give the bureaucrats
at FDA any pause.
As for those who hope that the introduction of this drug (actually two
drugs) will end the debate about abortion -- not likely. Taking Mifepristone
is not like popping a Tylenol or even like taking the combination of
drugs known as the "morning after" pill.
Let's start with the basics: No pregnancy ends without some pain, some
risk to the mother and some blood. A very early natural miscarriage is the least traumatic to the
mother. But as soon as the pregnancy has taken hold for a few weeks,
ending it -- naturally or through abortion -- is not a simple or easy
matter.
The first stage of Mifepristone is an anti-progesterone drug that causes
the lining of the uterus to break down. The loss of the lining leads
to bleeding. The next stage of the drug contains prostagladin, a hormone
that causes the uterus to contract. In effect, prostagladins produce
a miscarriage. During this phase of the "medical abortion," bleeding
and cramping can be severe, and associated with diarrhea and vomiting.
The bleeding is actually more profuse than that associated with surgical
abortions, and in about one in 500 cases, women require a trip to the
emergency room and blood transfusions. There are also about 5 percent
of women whose pregnancies are not completely ended by these drugs, and
these women require a surgical abortion to finish the job.
The whole course of the medical abortion is three days. That's a long
time to spend in pain. Because the drug is potentially dangerous to the
mother, close medical supervision is required. It is also imperative
that the doctor who dispenses these drugs be able to determine, through
ultrasound, that
the patient does not have a tubal pregnancy. Doctors will also discover,
as the New York Times pointed out last week, that becoming an "abortion
provider" will subject them to myriad regulations; some will have
to provide pre-abortion counseling, others to notify the parents of underage
girls.
In many states, abortion providers are subject to regulations on how
wide the hallways of their offices must be, how hot the water from the
tap may be, and the how much air flow circulates. Several states require
that fetal remains be examined. One state requires that fetal remains
be buried. Many physicians might just beg off.
Use of this new drug also requires a high degree of body awareness on
the part of the woman. The drug is safe (for the mother) only until the
49th day after the start of the last menstrual period (or about 35 days
after conception). This may cause confusion, particularly with young
pregnant girls who have trouble facing up to the fact that they are pregnant.
Mifepristone permits only about a 3-week window for girls to make up
their minds. Many will miss the mark and wind up at the abortion clinic
just as before.
So RU-486 will not end the debate, nor will it make the issue simply
go underground, as many seem to hope. The moral question will stay with
us and continue to divide us.
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