Anti-abortion law drives women to use ulcer drug

Off Our Backs, Jul/Aug 2003 by Mizus, Marisa, Moody, Maryam, Privado, Cindy, Douglas, Carol Anne, Et al

Abortions are illegal in Latin America, except in Cuba and Puerto Rico. As a replacement, women have been using Cytotec, a conveniently cheap ulcer medication. It is available without a prescription and the cost of each pill is less than a dollar. Only 8 to 16 pills are needed to enduce miscarriage, but the side effects of Cytotec include diarrhea, nausea, bloating, and abdominal cramps. Anti-abortion groups are lobbying to take Cytotec off the market.

Dr. Philip D. Darney, Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of California, says that Cytotec is safer and more effective to use to stop unwanted pregnancies than having illegal surgical abortions, which cost between $400 and $1,000. Additionally, each year six thousand of the four million women who have illegal surgical abortions die, according to the World Health Organization. Contraceptives are available, but many women cannot afford to pay for them and men are often unenthusiastic about using condoms.

In a way, Cytotec does give Latin American women a choice that they would not have otherwise. But surely women deserve better options than to choose between an ulcer drug and illegal surgery.

-info from Women's News