RU 486, the Abortion Pill
"I agree that a woman has a right to choose, but it saddens me to see what so many are deciding." CASSANDRA MEYER Loyal, Wis.
Thank God for the privacy afforded by RU 486 [NATION, Oct. 9]. The so-called right-to-lifers have no business interfering in other people's lives [by opposing abortion]. They can't seem to understand that their position contributes to overpopulation, global warming, the destruction of the environment and the deterioration of the quality of life for all mankind. CYNTHIA DELAFIELD New York City
The story of Amy, who took the abortion pill because she believes her family is not settled enough to have another baby, was terrifying. She has a four-year-old son and a good marriage. Financially they are well off, considering they are renovating their home. But the gift of a baby, a new life, is unsettling to them. It is even more unsettling to think that now anyone who feels like Amy, that a baby may make things less simple, can take the RU 486 abortion pill and end a life. What has happened to our society? BETH BOWMAN Manhattan Beach, Calif.
I would like to amplify my comments on the RU 486 method of abortion. Research compiled by the American Psychological Association shows that for most women the major psychological aftereffect of abortion is relief and that very few women experience any serious psychological difficulties with abortion. It is possible that of the minority of women who have serious emotional reactions after their abortions, some portion of mifepristone [RU 486] patients may have difficulty confronting the products of conception. However, the experience of mifepristone patients in both Europe and the U.S. clinical trials suggests a high degree of satisfaction with this method, with strong majorities telling researchers they would use this method again if they needed another abortion, and would recommend it to friends. CAROLE JOFFE Bryn Mawr, Pa.
Does the pro-life camp think the decision to have an abortion is made with the concern and brevity of choosing an outfit for work? What woman would not feel the effects for the rest of her life? But what child benefits from being brought into a world where he or she might not be taken care of properly or might be shuffled in and out of the unloving social-service system? RU 486 allows women to make a very hard, very controversial decision in a private and personal manner, the way it should be. LAUREN E. PETREE Blacksburg, Va.
No woman wants to have an abortion. It is a physically and emotionally painful procedure, but sometimes it is the only means to retain control of one's life and future. Certainly, it is not a decision taken lightly. When birth-control methods fail, it's the woman who pays, the woman who carries the child, delivers it and rears it--sometimes without financial support from the father and on a lower salary than a man would earn. You would have to be blind not to see that an unwanted pregnancy can be devastating to a woman's future. LEYLAND RYAN Honolulu
It seems contradictory to label RU 486 "safe and effective" considering that its effectiveness is dependent on its being 100% lethal to embryos. TIM O'BRIEN Des Plaines, Ill.