The subject of abortion has brought on some of the most controversial, social, and moral debates in U.S. history. On January 22, 1973, in the case Roe vs. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that it was a woman's constitutional right to have an abortion during the first trimester of her pregnancy ("The Ruling"). However, interest groups still argue that human life begins at conception and having an abortion is therefore murdering an unborn child. These opposing viewpoints create a delicate political and social debate in which the lives of unborn children are placed in the balance.
             The United States Food and Drug Administration, or F. D. A. recently approved the RU486 "abortion pill", saying that the "overall safety of the pills is excellent" ("Food and Drug"). This scientific development has the potential to make abortions much more accessible and private to American women. I believe that the abortion pill harbors great qualities for women who choose abortion, yet it is an enormous medical setback because it will cost the lives of so many more unborn children.
             For patients who undergo an abortion, the psychological issues are some of the hardest to deal with. Suicide rates for women who have an abortion are more than five times higher than the rates of those women who have the baby (Abortion-Statistics). While traditionally abortions are very difficult on women, RU486 makes it much easier for women to choose abortion. Instead of having to travel long distances to an urban clinic, the abortion process can be much more private, namely, an agreement between a woman and her physician (Robinson). With this pill, women have the luxury of spending up to twice as much time in the counsel of their doctors than with the surgical abortion. Furthermore, the abortion pill can only be taken in the first seven weeks of pregnancy and is generally completed a few days later, compa
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