Thirty-four percent of teenaged girls will become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teenage Pregnancy. This equates to approximately 820,000 teenage pregnancies per year.
However, only a fraction of these pregnancies result in actual childbirth, with many teen mothers either miscarrying or opting for other alternatives to motherhood. One of the more controversial alternatives is the prescription drug Mifeprex (RU-486).
The "abortion pill" as it is usually referred to, was introduced in 2000 and can be used to terminate an unwanted pregnancy that has not exceeded 49 days. Taken in two doses, the pill first blocks hormones necessary for sustaining a pregnancy. Later, second pill, misoprostol, is taken to induce contractions and complete the abortion.
Initially, as with most drugs the pill was thought to have several minor and short-term side effects but to be generally safe. However, after continued research the Food and Drug Administration found the pill not to be as safe as first expected. As a result, the FDA and Los Angeles county health officials announced an investigation into the drug's safety.
"The FDA is aware of four cases of septic deaths in the U.S. between September 2003 to June 2005 in women following medical abortion with Mifeprex," said a spokeswoman with the Food and Drug Administration. She could not release her name since the investigation is pending.
She also said, "Although these deaths are reported in California, all providers of medical abortion and their patients need to be aware of the risks of sepsis." Sepsis, which is one of the harsher side effects linked with using the drug, is a severe illness caused by the infection of the blood stream.
Jennifer Morcone from the Center for Disease Control said, "When someone refers to sepsis it's usually a medical term used to describe a blood stream infection, it is rare but very serious," Morcone said. "The bacteria overtakes your body."
Morcone added that the status of Mifeprex is still pending. "At this point, no one is sure of how large a problem this might be or if it may be just this isolated cases," she said. However, it is also important to note that sepsis has been linked with all types of abortion, both "medical" and "traditional."
In spite of the warnings, many women still see this drug as a favorable option. "I would have to say that recent investigations involving the Mifeprex drug have in no way affected sales," said a representative from the National Abortion Federation hotline. As a testament, she added, "We get women everyday wanting to take the pill and opting for the medical abortion, because the pill is still very much effective."
Although this seems to dispute FDA findings, all parties are in agreement that this decision should not be done on a whim or without the approval from a licensed physician. "Patients must still always talk to their doctors to see if they are a candidate for the drug and whether or not it should be used in their particular situation," said the FDA spokeswoman.
In spite of the ongoing debate for and against the drug, many students were not even aware that there was such a drug. "An abortion pill," asked sophomore psychology major Aleshia Langford. "I have never even heard of that," she said.
Despite knowledge of the pill, Langford that if Mifeprex was not a 100 percent safe, then it should not be used. "If people have died from it and it is under investigation, it should be taken off the market until it can be retested and shown to be completely safe," Terry said.
