A Pennsylvanian woman, Jennifer Whalen had ordered Mifepristone and Misoprostol last September for her 16 year old daughter to terminate the unplanned pregnancy. Food and Drug Administration of the United States had approved these medicines, and it has been 15 years from then. The pills have helped more than 2 million American women in ending unwanted pregnancy, and the medicine can also be accessed over internet pharmacies.
However, this woman was jailed as she came under law’s scanner of providing the medicines without prescription. The question is, if the medicines are legal and safe, why are people being penalized for using them, or why do some complain that accessing these are difficult? The answer lays in difference of dispensing laws for abortion pills. While there are nations who have certified telemedicine, at other regions the system is illegal. Some states only allow administration of the tablets in presence of doctor.
Other regions are flexible with laws regarding use of the same in home without medical supervision. While medical abortion is still the most popular means of ending pregnancy, the rights of women in reaching the services falls short. Not everyone stays near clinics or hospitals that provide the medicines, or can afford the cost of hospitalization. Thus, many turn to ordering abortion pills from other sources, which are cheaper yet reliable fix.
However, the large gap about access of these tablets in the U.S. is problematic for many. In the States some parts have allowed the utilization of Mifepristone and Misoprostol up to 63 days, while at others, it is only for 49 days. Similarly, the necessity of prescription or non-prescription drug dispensing is also an issue. The course comprises of oral intake of anti progesterone, and latter consuming of womb contraction causing tablets.
Both together kill the fetus in womb and expel the fetal remains from vagina. The complication risk is very rare and similar to surgical method. But, despite of the medication safety and awareness, the laws are not spread equivalently over the application of medical abortion. Yet, legal backing for the method to terminate an early pregnancy is welcoming and is applauded by the citizens.