A deeper look into the medical abortion pill

By Alexandrea Coe

More than half of all U.S. abortions are medically induced by Mifepristone and Misoprostol, a two-pill regimen. While these pills require a prescription from a doctor, they avoid the concept of surgery altogether. Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, popularity rates for this product are expected to rise. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a new and permanent rule that enables retail pharmacies to fill prescriptions for Mifepristone and Misoprostol. A medicated abortion can cost up to around $800, but it is often less. The average cost for these pills at Planned Parenthood is about $580. Considering a typical surgical abortion with Planned Parenthood can be up to $2,300 per procedure, the accessibility of getting an abortion has become much easier in states that permit these pills.

However, in places with strict anti-abortion bans, these pills have sparked controversy, and pregnant individuals in such areas are finding it challenging to get their hands on the medication.

What is Mifepristone, and how does it work?

Mifepristone was created in the 1980s by the French drug company, RousselUclaf, and is a pill regimen used to terminate pregnancies of up to 10 weeks. Mifepristone works when it is followed up with a dose of Misoprostol, typically taken 24 to 48 hours later. This abortion pill is not to be confused with the morning-after pill, which delays ovulation.

When taken, Mifepristone blocks the body’s receptor for the hormone progesterone and disrupts the gestation process in its early stages. Misoprostol then provokes contractions so that the uterus removes what is left of the pregnancy, causing heavy bleeding and cramping.

According to Planned Parenthood, this medical abortion process for most individuals feels like having an early miscarriage, which includes symptoms like cramping, heavier bleeding than normal, pain in one’s stomach, pelvis or back and feeling weak.

What kind of change is the FDA’s new rule implementing?

This medication has been approved by the FDA for more than two decades. Despite its authorization, the only way to access the drug has been from certified clinics, due to safety concerns (even though sufficient evidence demonstrates the method’s safety and effectiveness).

However, on Jan. 10, 2023, the FDA announced its revision of access to the drug Mifepristone, stating that previous restrictions are no longer necessary. Now, doctors are also able to prescribe the pill via Telehealth appointments.

Because big pharmacy chains can now carry and fill prescriptions for Mifepristone, this medication can be available at any local drugstore or pharmacy retailer.

What does this mean for anti-abortion states?

Pregnant people living in states that already limit or ban abortion will likely not benefit from this new rule.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, 29 states specifically require physicians to administer medicated abortions. 18 of those states have already banned the pills used in Telemedicine, meaning people must schedule an appointment with no guarantee of actually getting Mifepristone. Texas became one of the first states to ban the pills after seven weeks of pregnancy.

Community Perspective: How does a female-identifying senior at Redwood feel about this pill?

Senior Magx Auerbach, vice president of the Democrat Club, gives her perspective on the topic.

“It is incredibly important to have safe methods for termination of pregnancies. Considering that more than half of abortions done in the U.S. are attributed to this particular drug combination, under no circumstances should it be removed from the market, especially when the brunt of the impact will be felt by marginalized communities,” Auerbach said.

Why are there lawsuits against the FDA for this pill? What exactly is the controversy about?

Currently, the FDA is in a legal battle with anti-abortion physicians, legislators and activists who have directed the push against abortion medication, saying that easing prescription requirements is dangerous.

The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the organization spearheading the lawsuit, asked a federal district court in Dallas late last year to declare the FDA’s approval of Mifepristone as unlawful, hoping to remove the pill from the U.S. market entirely. The court could issue a ruling as soon as Feb. 10, when it will be fully briefed.

The FDA, however, determined Mifepristone is a safe and effective way to end an early pregnancy more than two decades ago based on extensive scientific evidence, the agency’s lawyers wrote. According to the FDA, decades of experience from thousands of women and their physicians have confirmed that Mifepristone is safer than surgical abortion or childbirth.

Community Perspective: How does a wellness professional feel about Mifepristone?

Cassandra Beck, marriage and family therapist trainee, gives information on why as a medical professional she is in support of the abortion pill.

“Outlawing abortions really just means outlawing safe abortions. It is important to lower the many barriers women face when it comes to accessing drugs like birth control and other abortion methods. I am in support of this pill as it allows people to have an abortion in the comfort of their own homes, surrounded by friends or family, versus the typical visit to the sterile clinic environment. Ultimately, having more access to something that gives people more options, I am really for and I support,” Beck said.

Where to find help and resources: If you want to talk to someone or need additional resources/support, you can receive guidance and counseling in Wellness in Room 103. Additionally, sign up to be a part of Redwood’s Sexual Health Clinic Services, where a third party (non-school affiliated) can confidentially connect you or your friends with outside services and programs free of charge.

In their complaint, the anti-abortion physicians argue the FDA abused its power by approving Mifepristone. They contend pregnancy is not an illness, Mifepristone is not more safe and effective than surgical abortion and that the FDA’s actions have put patients’ health at risk. acoe@redwoodbark.org

IllustrationbyCarsenGoltz

Let’s talk about it: Leaving for college

By Ava Razavi

There seems to be a constantly ticking countdown for college-bound students that starts the moment they begin high school. It’s a loud, deep and seemingly hollow sound, almost as if it’s haunting me. It follows me everywhere — from my dreams to conversations with friends.

This looming countdown is slowly but surely reminding me that my childhood is coming to a close. In a couple of months, there will be no parents to cook for me when I’m being lazy, no dog to make me smile when I’m down, no more seeing my best friends daily and no more private room to hide in when life is a little too much.

I always knew this day would come — when I leave everything I know and love behind. Despite anticipating my departure, I cannot deny that I’m often paralyzed with anxiety when I think of the future. How could I not be? The statistics are horrifying. More than one in four women are sexually harassed on college campuses. Approximately 45 percent of students experience severe depression when in college. California college students are so overwhelmed by this sudden transition that almost half of the students who begin a degree program drop out. So, let’s talk about it: These facts don’t make the college experience look good.

I guess getting a higher education in America comes at a cost. Honestly, the punishment does not feel like it fits the crime — at all. From sorority and fraternity hazing to shared showers to endless hookup culture, college seems to be a cruel concept created by an evil higher power. I feel like an alien, listening to my peers talk about wanting to go to huge college football games or frat parties with perfect smiles plastered across their faces. I wish I could share the same excitement they do about college. I really do. I want to want to go to college.

But I’m afraid. And I’m starting to notice that others are too; they’re just faking that they’re not. Leaving home for the first time is scary, and it’s okay to feel anxious about it. Fear isn’t bad unless you’re constantly demonizing it and trying to push it out of your life. According to Psychologist Russ Hariss, “The more we try to avoid the basic reality that all human life involves pain, the more we are likely to struggle with that pain when it arises, thereby creating even more suffering.”

Life will never be perfect, and college most definitely will not be close to perfect. However, accepting that this major life change will contain feelings of fear, anxiety, loneliness and grief is how we come to terms with our future. Recognizing these feelings will make them seem so much less powerful and open up space for other positive emotions, such as not having to take a math course anymore and not having to shove through overcrowded halls to get to class.

So if you’re scared, please share that fear because I’m sick of pretending like I’m the only one who isn’t excited to start over with no one and nothing I know. Maybe I really am alone in this, but if I’m not, I want you to know: It’s okay to be scared of all this change. I’m scared too.