For the first time ever, the abortion pill will be available at the Planned Parenthood in Eugene.
The sexual and reproductive health care provider will prescribe the abortion pill Mifeprex this month. The pill, not to be confused with the morning after pill, is an alternative to surgical abortion.
The availability of the abortion pill in Eugene is stirring up disagreement between pro-life and pro-choice groups in Oregon.
Pro-choice groups say the Eugene Planned Parenthood’s decision is an important step in providing safe, reliable options to women across the state.
“It gives women the tools to prevent pregnancy,” said Laura Taylor, deputy director of Pro-Choice Oregon in Portland.
Rachel Adams, University Students for Choice co-director, agrees.
“I personally believe it’s a resource that should be available to women across the state,” Adams said.
Pro-life groups such as Oregon Right to Life take a different stance on the issue.
“I have talked to hundreds and thousands of women who chose to have an abortion and now live with the emotional consequences,” said Gayle Atteberry, executive director of Oregon Right to Life.
In response to the argument that having an abortion is a woman’s personal choice, Atteberry said, “It is not just her body. There are two bodies involved, hers and
her baby’s.”
Atteberry said it is medical fact that life begins at fertilization. But Gregg Wendland, University Health Center pharmacy manager, said there’s no agreement in the medical field as to when life begins.
“If you ask two different people that same question, you’re likely to get two different answers,” Wendland said.
Adams expressed gratitude for Planned Parenthood’s decision to prescribe the
abortion pill.
“Regardless of when life begins, women have the right to choose when to become a mother,” Adams said. “We hope that this will help women in Eugene make
informed decisions.”
The Food and Drug Administration approved the abortion pill in 2000 and can only be used during the first 49 days after the woman’s last period, according to the product’s Web site. The abortion pill and related services, such as an ultrasound and fees, cost $350 to $650, said Cynthia Pappas, Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon CEO.
Mifeprex is the brand name of the pill mifepristone, which works when it is combined with another pill, misoprostol, said Marilyn Helton, Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon vice president of patient services.
The first pill blocks the hormones needed to maintain a pregnancy. The second, which is taken within 24 to 48 hours later, contracts the uterus and causes a miscarriage, according to the Mifeprex Web site.
“It’s a process. It’s not just one pill,” Helton said.
Helton said the combination is 98 percent effective. An ultrasound is needed after the abortion pill is taken to make sure the fetus was completely aborted.
Pappas said the majority of the work her organization does is preventative.
“Planned Parenthood works every day to reduce the number of unplanned pregnancies through education and contraceptive programs,” Pappas said.
The Bours Health Center in Eugene also provides the abortion pill.
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