OPINION:
One major problem with the use of the two-part chemical abortion pill is its health risks. The first step, mifepristone, starves the developing embryo of nutrients needed for sustaining life, and the second, misoprostol, acts to expel the embryo. Some supporters of these pills claim that sending them through the mail and using the online help of an abortion provider is actually safer than seeing a doctor in person and receiving an ultrasound to determine the baby’s gestational age.
The abortion pill is intended for those no more than about 10 weeks pregnant, but without a sonogram you will not know how far along the pregnancy is. It has been in the news recently that a mother secured the drugs for her daughter, who turned to be much further along in pregnancy; taking the drugs could have killed her.
But of course, skipping the ultrasound would certainly benefit Planned Parenthood’s profit. One in 50 pregnancies is tubal or ectopic. Without the ultrasound, there is no way to know whether a woman has an ectopic pregnancy, which could put her life in serious jeopardy.
Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research Dr. Vinay Prasad has said that he views abortion as health care. To that I say this: Science tells us that life begins at conception. Common sense tells us abortion is not health care. Health care saves, enhances and extends human life.
PAUL OKERBLOM
Salisbury, Maryland
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