Article On Ru 486 Essay Research Paper — страница 3

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approval process. Now that it has been cleared, the real test begins. A doctor’s decision to offer the drug rests on a complex calculation. Many may read the FDA language about the pill’s being limited to “physicians who can accurately determine the duration of a patient’s pregnancy” to mean that they should do this with ultrasound–and most do not have ultrasound equipment in their office. Likewise, special training and extra malpractice insurance might dampen enthusiasm for offering the drug. Doctors will have the extra burden of locating those women who do not return for the final visit to make sure their pregnancy has been terminated. Were there to be an increase in complications or birth defects associated with mifepristone (none have yet been reported), insurance

companies would probably adjust their rates accordingly. And even though mifepristone has won federal approval, the current patchwork of state laws still applies. Some states require any doctor who performs abortions to register with the state and report every procedure he does. Some have rules about the design of offices where abortions occur or require that the fetal remains be examined by a doctor. In North Dakota, the law requires that remains be buried or cremated. Apart from the logistical and legal hurdles, there are the moral and psychological ones. Doctors who don’t do abortions on principle are not likely to change their mind based on the method. Those who approve of abortion under certain circumstances will still want to see how mifepristone works, how widespread its

use becomes and whether a backlash could endanger their entire practice. Dr. Thomas Purdon, president-elect of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, spoke with a lot of his colleagues last week after the news broke and found them both receptive and cautious. “The medical abortion is less traumatic and done so much earlier in a pregnancy that physicians can rationalize the fact that they are not disrupting a more advanced pregnancy,” he said. “The emotional and ethical barriers are easier to cross.” MORE**