Word: clinically
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Abortion is never easy. There is the anguish of the decision, the invasive nature of the procedure, and sometimes an ugly confrontation with right-to- life forces lying in wait outside the clinic door. But imagine if abortion could be a truly private matter. Say, something as easy as visiting a doctor, getting a few pills, returning home to swallow them, then checking back a few days later to make sure that all went as planned...
...could allow abortion to be a truly private decision, albeit still not an easy one. Doctors have reported on a pivotal breakthrough in the use of the controversial French abortion drug known as RU 486: a woman who takes the drug will no longer have to go to a clinic for a follow-up injection to induce contractions. Instead, the entire procedure will involve simply taking two sets of pills. Concurrently, President Clinton has firmly signaled a willingness to reconsider the policies of the Reagan and Bush Administrations, which barred RU 486 from...
...French began testing the new method of using RU 486 that does not require going to a clinic for a follow-up shot. An oral prostaglandin, commercially marketed as Cytotec by the American manufacturer G.D. Searle, enabled women to abort simply by swallowing a combination of pills. The efficiency rate rose from 95.5% to 96.9%, and the speed of the procedure improved. In 61% of the cases, the uterine contents were expelled within four hours after taking Cytotec, in contrast to 47% in the case of prostaglandin injections. Although there were instances of nausea and diarrhea, which are also common...
...where the RU 486 is enough to induce a quick abortion, the woman must take two 200-mg Cytotec pills within the next 48 hours. Because the timing is critical and doctors want to monitor the effects of this contraction-inducing drug, women are required to return to the clinic. They are encouraged to remain for four hours, even if the expulsion happens earlier. Eight to 10 days later, they must pay a final visit for an exam to make sure no part of the egg remains...
...just two visits to the doctor. It would be possible, though controversial, for the government to let RU 486 be administered in any doctor's office or possibly even by trained nurse practitioners. If that happened, many women could avoid running a gauntlet of protesters outside an abortion clinic. Still, it won't take all the anguish out of the procedure. "It's insulting to women to say that abortion now will be as easy as taking aspirins," says Baulieu. "It is always difficult, psychologically and physically, sometimes tragic...