Tag Archives: ru486

WTF: Michele Bachmann Invents The “Morning-After Abortion Pill”

Jessica WakemanSeptember 14, 2011 //

I purposefully did not watch CNN’s Tea Party/Republican debate on Tuesday night because I knew I’d spend the whole time screaming at the TV. It was the right choice. (Like moi, you can read the transcript here.) Texas Governor Rick Perry wasted no time saying he made a “mistake” by requiring adolescent girls in Texas to be vaccinated against strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer. And then Rep. Michele Bachmann chimed in to … well, lie on national television by smearing Plan B, which is the morning-after pill, as the “morning-after abortion pill.” You know, implying that it is the abortion pill, i.e. kills babies:

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Health Care Reform Might Require Coverage Of Birth Control

Jessica WakemanFebruary 3, 2011 //

For the past three years, I have not taken any birth control pills and instead solely relied on condoms for contraception. These past few years, I have been a full-time freelancer without health insurance and I have prioritized paying for my anti-depressant prescription — anywhere from $100 to $120 bucks a month, depending on the pharmacy — over BC.

But if the Obama administration gets its way after a thorough review from health experts, the costs of contraceptives and other family planning services will be covered by insurers under health care reform. Contraceptives would be considered “preventative services” because they prevent unwanted pregnancies and a host of other health issues that come along with the stork’s surprises. Wouldn’t that be the jam?

Don’t get too excited yet, though: some “family” organizations are already whining that pregnancy is “not a disease” and birth control should not be considered a preventative service. Keep reading »

What Is Ella, The Morning-After Pill That The FDA Just Approved?

Jessica WakemanAugust 16, 2010 //

Woot, woot! On Friday afternoon, the FDA approved ella, a new emergency contraceptive that can be taken five days after unprotected sex, for prescription-only sales. If the condom breaks, you are a victim of sexual assault, or any number of numerous situations where you’re doing the “No babies! No babies!” dance, you now have more morning-after pill options than ever before.

What do you need to know about ella — and Plan B, the existing emergency contraception? All the deets are after the jump. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Abortion By Computer?

Jessica WakemanJune 11, 2010 //
  • Abortion providers in Des Moines, Iowa are using videoconferencing — or “telemedicine” — to administer RU-486, the abortion pill. Women can sit next to a nurse at a clinic and with a click of the mouse, the doctor can open a drawer to provide her a dosage. Opponents of abortion rights say administering the abortion pill via telemedicine could compromise women’s safety. Abortion rights supporters say using telemedicine for RU-486 helps women who live in rural areas where clinics don’t exist — in part because of opponents’ activism to shut them down. [New York Times]
  • Next week, the Food and Drug Administration will consider approval for a new type of emergency contraception, called ellaOne, which can be taken up to five days after sex. Currently, doctors advise women who have had unprotected sex to take the existing form of E.C., called Plan B, up to three days after sex. [Salon.com Broadsheet]
  • Chris Brown had to postpone a concert in Glasgow, Scotland, earlier this week after he was denied a visa following his assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna, last year. Said a government official, “We reserve the right to refuse entry to anyone guilty of a serious criminal offense. Public safety is one of our primary concerns.” [The Sun UK]

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“I’m Live-Tweeting My Abortion”

Jessica WakemanFebruary 24, 2010 //


“I’m doing this to de-mystify abortion,” she says. “I’m doing this so other women know, ‘Hey, it’s not nearly as terrifying as I had myself worked up thinking it was.’ It’s just not that bad.”

These are the words of Angie Jackson, a blogger and mother of a 4-year-old son. Her IUD birth control failed; she is four weeks pregnant and writing about her abortion on YouTube, her personal blog, and on Twitter under the hashtag #livetweetingabortion. Keep reading »

What’s Ellaone? And How Can It Keep Me From Getting Pregnant?

Jessica WakemanFebruary 5, 2010 //

We’ve all heard about emergency contraception — also called “the morning after pill” — which is most effective when a woman takes it up to 72 hours (five) after unprotected sex to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Chances are, you or someone you know has taken EC after the condom broke, a sexual assault, or some other emergency. Recently, medical experts have been talking about Ellaone, a morning after pill available in the UK, which also very effective up to five days after unprotected sex. In one study, Ellaone prevented two-thirds of pregnancies within three days of unprotected sex and 50 percent of pregnancies within five days.

Ellaone currently isn’t available in the United States, but it could be eventually. Problem is, though, anti-abortion activists both here and in the UK are railing against Ellaone, calling it an “abortion pill.” Keep reading »

Women On Waves’ Abortion Boat May Be Permanently Docked

Jessica WakemanJuly 28, 2009 //

The Women on Waves boat, a vessel which sailed to international waters outside countries where abortion is illegal and terminated pregnancies, may be docking for good.

A little backstory: Founded in 1999, WoW is a Netherlands-based charity with a boat that docked 12 miles off the coast (which constitutes “international water”) of places like Ireland, Portugal, and Spain, where women must rely on illegal abortions to end their pregnancies. WoW provided contraceptives, pregnancy testing, information about STDs, and prescribed the abortion pill (RU-486) to women who came on board. (WoW never actually performed surgical abortions on the boat, although it has had permission since 2008 to use a converted vessel to terminate pregnancies up to 12 weeks.) Keep reading »