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Rhetoric vs. Reality: Setting the Record Straight on Medication Abortion

June 28, 2019 By Lynn Wenzel Leave a Comment

Excerpted from a June 2019 article from the Center for American Progress

By Nora Ellmann, Kelly Rimar and Jamila Taylor 

 

Medication abortion can be a key tool in the fight for reproductive choice: It has the potential to bring abortion access to those who need it most—particularly people of color, low-income people, people in rural areas, and others who cannot easily access providers giving individuals greater agency over their health care decisions.

Medication abortion, or abortion with pills, is safe, effective, and less invasive than a surgical procedure and gives people the option to have an abortion outside of a clinic in the comfort and privacy of their own homes. Yet despite the proven record and benefits of the medication abortion regimen, anti-choice groups continue to spew false claims about its safety.

As access to quality reproductive health care is under siege, it is crucial to recognize and correct the lies around medication abortion that anti-abortion groups have propagated in order to influence federal and state policies. Ellmann, Rimar and Taylor have detailed the truth behind myths about medication abortion.

Myth 1: Medication abortion is unsafe

Reality: The medication abortion regimen is used in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy and consists of two medications: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone is taken first, generally in a clinic or health center, followed by misoprostol one to two days later, usually at home. Mifepristone, the first of the two pills, has extremely low rates of adverse events and is safer than many medications, including Tylenol and Viagra.

In 2016, after a thorough review of medical evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) extended the eligibility period from seven weeks to 10 weeks gestation and reduced the approved dosage from 600 mg to 200 mg. In March 2018, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report affirming that the FDA acted appropriately in revising the Mifeprex label in 2016, despite anti-choice advocates’ claims to the contrary.

Mifepristone remains much more heavily regulated than other prescription drugs as a result of the politicization of abortion care. The FDA has required a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for mifepristone. The mifepristone REMS limits its distribution; providers must register to be permitted to distribute mifepristone, and it can only be distributed in hospitals, clinics, or medical offices. This means that under the REMS, mifepristone is not available at pharmacies and can only be prescribed by a limited number of providers, which

significantly and unnecessarily restricts access to medication abortion—particularly for people who live far from a clinic or do not have an approved provider in their area. The American Medical Association (AMA) and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) support lifting the REMS, as they are not medically necessary!

Myth 2: Medication abortion is traumatic

Reality: Everyone experiences abortion differently, and those who have abortions are entitled to the full range of emotions about their experience. However, research and powerful personal storytelling indicate overwhelmingly that people do not regret their abortions. So-called post-abortion syndrome, which anti-choice groups often point to as evidence of the traumatic effects of abortion, is not recognized by the American Psychological Association and decades of research have disproven the claim that abortion compromises mental health.

As for the physical experience of a medication abortion, most people report bleeding, nausea, cramping, and fatigue. These symptoms resemble those of a heavy period, and over-the-counter medications such as Ibuprofen are recommended for pain management. Most people may resume normal activity within a day or two after a medication abortion.

If there is any trauma involved in abortion care, it is the struggle of having to navigate unjust restrictions on abortion access and attacks from anti-choice protesters and politicians. The landmark Turnaway Study from Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH) provides evidence of this experience. The study found that while having an abortion was not associated with mental health issues, being denied a wanted abortion was associated with anxiety and low self-esteem in the short-term. The option to end a pregnancy at home provides patients with greater access to care and prioritizes autonomy and comfort in the abortion experience.

Myth 3: Medication abortion is ineffective and reversible

Reality: Medication abortion is more than 95 percent effective and has been used safely in the United States for nearly two decades. Although the two-drug protocol is recommended, misoprostol—the second medication—is about 75 percent to 90 percent effective in terminating an unplanned pregnancy when taken alone.

The medical community overwhelmingly agrees that claims of “abortion reversal” are unsupported by medical and scientific evidence. Promoters of this myth claim that abortion may be reversed after mifepristone is taken as long as the second drug, misoprostol, is not taken and the hormone progesterone is administered throughout the first trimester. However, this simply is not true. This implies that those who choose to have abortions second-guess themselves and later regret the decision. In reality, people who have abortions take their reproductive health decisions seriously and, as previously discussed, almost universally do not regret the decision.

Conclusion

Medication abortion is a proven safe and effective method that can significantly improve the availability and experience of abortion care. It is a powerful enabler of reproductive autonomy, allowing people to choose the abortion setting that is safest and most comfortable for them. To ensure access to this crucial health care option, we must put an end to the lies that undermine the health care decisions of all people seeking abortion care.

Filed Under: Current Societal Issues

Rape Culture in the U.S. – Causes and Solutions for an Epidemic Problem

June 11, 2015 By Freddy Zylstra Leave a Comment

‘Put molly all in her champagne, she ain’t even know it. Took her home and I enjoyed that, she aint’ even know it’.

~ Rapper Rick Ross, in ‘You Ain’t Even Know It’
(‘molly’ refers to MDMA, or Ecstasy)

 

Rape culture is alive and well in the United States. It asserts that men have a right to women’s bodies, with or without consent.                             

Nearly 1 in 3 male college students admitted they would rape a woman if they could be certain no one would find out and there would be no consequences, according to a University of North Dakota survey.

respect for personal boundaries is critical
Respect for others boundaries is essential to stopping rape culture

The survey, released in December 2014, contained sobering insight into the students’ definition of rape, depending on the wording of the question rather than an understanding of the behavior. When the question was posed as ‘would you act on intentions to force a woman to have sex’, 31.7% responded ‘yes’.

The researchers changed the wording of the question to ‘would you act on intentions to rape a woman’ and found that only 13.6% said ‘yes’.

Why did the respondents think there was a difference?

The paper, “Denying Rape but Endorsing Forceful Intercourse: Exploring Differences Among Responders,” was released recently in the journal ‘Violence and Gender’.

What the researchers discovered is that those respondents who said they might force a woman to have sex but ‘not rape her’ seemed to have high levels of indifferent sexual attitudes – in other words, they weren’t overtly hostile (as were the group who admitted to thinking that rape was acceptable), but they also didn’t perceive women as individuals who have the right to control their own bodies. It appeared that the respondents felt that acting aggressively was ‘expected’ and ‘manly’.

What cultural and peer behaviors encourage this belief?

  • In 2013, two Steubenville, Ohio high school football players were convicted and sentenced for the rape of a 16 year old girl. The media was flooded with comments about the young men, who had ‘such promising futures’ and how ‘sad it was their lives were ruined’

 

In reality, the girl was brutally assaulted by her peers, who transported, undressed, photographed and sexually assaulted her. The boys jokingly shared their crime on social media, posting photos of the rape, saying she was ‘like a dead body’ because she was incapacitated by alcohol. Hundreds of shared photos and text messages making light of the crime were presented as evidence during the trial.

 

  • At Kenilworth Junior High School in Petaluma, California, a school administrator informed all the female students that they ‘couldn’t wear tight pants because it caused the boys to be distracted’.

 

Why did the school feel it was incumbent upon the girls to change their dress and behavior? Purportedly because they feel the boys aren’t able to control themselves.  Why not teach mutual respect and boundaries instead?  This action inferred that the boys somehow weren’t to blame for their own behavior.

 

  • The treatment of women as ‘objects’, and violent behavior exhibited toward them by prominent sports figures such as NFL star Ray Rice sets a terrible example for teen boys who idolize these athletes. Had Mr. Rice’s vicious attack on his then fiancée not been videotaped and widely distributed in the media, it’s entirely possible the NFL would have looked the other way.

 

Who is responsible for perpetuating the belief that boys don’t need to respect boundaries with girls?

It seems everyone is to blame. Video games, Rap music, sports culture, internet porn, television, lack of action on the part of schools, and peer pressure are all factors. Adolescent and teen boys are getting the message that encourages them to ignore their emotions, objectify and degrade women, and resolve conflict through aggression. The media creates a minefield of gender identity and false expectations of what it means to become a ‘real’ man at a time in boy’s lives when they are struggling with overwhelming feelings of sexuality.

objectifying women in video games
Violent video games often portray women as ‘objects’

Is progress being made?

Arguably not fast enough, though there are programs to mentor young men and promote healthier, non-violent identities based on a set of values which embrace respect for women.

One such program is the Men of Strength Club. This school-based curriculum spans 22 weeks and teaches male teens ages 11-18 appropriate dating and relationship skills.  They are encouraged to show their ‘strength’ and masculinity in positive and empathetic ways among their peers.

Winning the 2007 United States Changemakers competition to identify the world’s most innovative domestic violence prevention programs, the Men of Strength Club is now in schools across 10 states, including California.

Obviously, we have a long way to go.  Providing fact-based sex education in our schools is one way to open dialog between parents and adolescents – the perfect opportunity to discuss the meaning of healthy relationships. The ‘Know it & Own it’ program developed by Citizens for Choice is a powerful tool in creating a sense of responsibility and respect in teens of both sexes.

Further Reading and Study:

The results of a 2013 National Study on teens and sexual violence: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/10/08/2748631/national-study-adolescents-sexual-violence/

http://dayofthegirl.org/rape-culture/  This website addresses the neglect and devaluation of girls around the world

http://therepresentationproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/about-the-film/synopsis/
Documentary directed by Jennifer Newsome (Miss Representation) which explores the role of boys as they grow up with stereotypes and expectations of a society that condones aggression.

Filed Under: Current Societal Issues Tagged With: causes of rape culture, indifference to personal boundaries, prevention of rape, rape culture, sexual identity and rape culture, violence and rape culture

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