Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

Claims for RU 486/PG Abortionby the research team investigating the drug. I had nochildren who needed to be cared for.The same cannot be said for women of the Third World.It also cannot be said for women in the United States whodo not have access to adequate health care (Hodgson inLos Angeles Times, 1990: E20).RU 486/PG has tremendous problems for distribution inthe third world and in areas of western countries where poor,Black, and other minority women may not have middle-classhealth care and facilities available. Yet much of the medicaland feminist championing of RU 486 continues to promoteit as a corrective for the 200,000 botched abortions whichinjure women worldwide, most of which are reported tohappen in developing countries.Some supporters of RU 486 have questioned its use inthird world countries, but mostly in the context of costCommenting on the need for ß-hCG and ultrasound testingin the Grimes trials in Southern California, Allan Rosenfieldstates:This will be a question of particular importance, given thecost involved, for clinics serving the poor and for programsin developing countries… Similarly, I would like his[Grimes] comment on the routine use of ultrasonographybefore prescribing the drug. He mentions that vaginalultrasonography to rule out fetal cardiac activity is now astandard procedure in his program… Again, of course, thereare cost implications of this recommendation for generaluse (Rosenfield in Grimes et al., 1990:916).Edouard Sakiz, chairman of Roussel Uclaf, in an interviewin the French daily, Le Monde, has stated quite explicitly:Our idea was to market the product in those developedcountries which have the same legislation on abortion as33