Abortion is a medical right to women in the United States. However, the current war on women waged by far-right idealogues is forcing women to take drastic measures in terminating their unwanted pregnancies. This is a shame because it's creating an environment that is not much different from the days prior to Roe v. Wade when women relied on the knitting needle or wire coat hanger to rid their bodies of unwanted pregnancies. Those practices were absolutely unsafe for women and the latest tactic is as well. Women who feel that their rights here in the United States are now crossing the border into Mexico to seek "no questions asked" pregnancy terminations via over-the-counter pills.
The medication is called Cytotec and is used as an over-the-counter treatment for ulcers in Mexico. It has also been used to induce labor in some instances. One of the side effects of this drug, sometime marketed as Misoprostol, is miscarriage in pregnant women. That's the reason why some American women seek out pharmacies in Mexico that sell it over-the-counter, no questions asked. Hell, to some that beats the invasive and downright Nazi-like interference some of the more right-wing lawmakers have imposed on the women of their states.
The downside is that this medication may not always work for inducting the termination of a pregnancy. If an abortion isn't successful, Cytotec can cause major birth defects. To some women, the thought of a severely defected child is far worse than being forced to carry a healthy one -- although some people my disagree.
It's simply unfair that American women, from a country who already assured women their right to choose, are being forced to take up unhealthy and dangerous practices to terminate pregnancies like its the 1950s all over again. If anyone says this isn't a war on women, they're being daft, because it's obvious that women are being stifled in this country.
People need to realize that women will always need the medical necessary procedure of abortion. Simply because your religious views or silly opinions don't mesh with that need doesn't mean that mass numbers of women need to be forced in resorting to stupid acts to keep pregnancies they do not want. People are going to start getting hurt because of this, and the far-right and religious zealotry of pro-life interest groups are partially to blame.
Crime analyst and profiler Chelsea Hoffman can be found on The Huffington Post, Chelsea Hoffman: Case to Case and many other outlets. Follow @TheRealChelseaH on Twitter or click here to contact Chelsea directly.
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Comments: 3
Similarly, while I support the right to bear arms, I also feel there there should be an amendment to hold gun owners responsible for understanding the weight that comes with this right. The same goes for the so-called 'privilege' of driving a car... except that on this subject, we DO require people to be trained in the operation of a motor vehicle.
When it comes to sex & reproduction, human life is not something that should be so easily cast off just off because someone didn't take their part in this equation seriously. This has nothing to do with any war on women but rather, taking on a mature approach so that unwanted pregnancies don't happen because. In fact, there's no excuse not to.
I am a fly-by on gather, occasionally visiting to read up on political articles and I especially enjoy the all of the comments. Out of all the people I see comment on a lot of these articles, your comments are about the most articulate and level headed. Just wanted to share.
And Chelsea - what is even more unfortunate about this pill being available in Mexico is the internet - there must be some pharmacies there, or non-pharmacies but rather, internet pill businesses - that will sell these via online ordering. Just like I can get my husband's glaucoma eyedrops - not available in generic in the states - generic thru an online Canadian pharmacy - at least in this case I am getting the real deal. But in other cases? Who knows what some women will end up with.
It's time to take the morning after pill off prescription pads. And it's time to leave the nonsense of regulating abortion alone. It should strictly be between a woman, her choice, and then her doctor.