Women who are concerned about whether to get a chemical or surgical abortion should first find out the facts, say experts.
Since 1973, when abortion was first legalized in the United States, women have resorted to surgical abortions, which are often uncomfortable and risky. In more recent years, they have been able to choose a chemical abortion, RU-486, thus avoiding surgery. But the safety of chemical abortion has come into question since the deaths of at least seven women in 2006.
(RU-486 is not the same as Plan B, also called the morning after pill. Plan B must be taken within three days of conception. RU-486, sometimes called Mifepristone, can be taken within 49 days of conception.)
RU-486 has come under public scrutiny in the last several years because of questions regarding its safety. A 2008 study conducted at the University of Michigan and published in The Journal of Immunology has indicated that "off-label use" of the controversial abortion drugs mifepristone (Mifeprex) and misoprostol (Cytotec), collectively used in the chemical abortion procedure, may be linked to the death of at least eight women.
RU-486, or Mifepristone, is given initially, and then Misoprostol is given two days later. It is recommended that both drugs be taken in the doctor's office. However, Planned Parenthood's recommendation, until 2006, to use the abortion-causing drug Misoprostol vaginally rather than orally, contrary to FDA recommendations, has led to the taking of the second drug at home, thus leading to various complications, sometimes including death.
The surgical means of pregnancy termination, however, is associated with many problems. The Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, states that, "Worldwide, an estimated five million women are hospitalized each year for treatment of abortion-related complications, such as hemorrhage and sepsis.
"Immediate complications, according to experts, include infection, excessive bleeding, embolism, ripping or perforation of the uterus, anesthesia complications, convulsions, hemorrhage, cervical injury, and endotoxic shock. The most common long-term complications include fever, chronic abdominal pain, vomiting, gastro-intestinal disturbances, Rh sensitization, cancer of the breast, cervix, ectopic pregnancies, subsequent miscarriatge and premature birth, and low birthweight babies, pelvic inflammatory disease, endometritis, a lowering in general health, and occasionally even death.
Making an informed decision about abortion is critical. About 180 women in the western Chicago suburb of Berwyn, IL had abortions in 2005, and about 325 had the procedure in nearby Cicero in the same year.
Women in Berwyn and Cicero, as well as Oak Park, Stickney, Westchester, and other nearby Illinois cities who are considering whether to get a chemical or surgical abortion should get the facts and call WomanCare Services in Berwyn, at 708-795-6000 for a free pregnancy test, or arrange for a free ultrasound.
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