Emergency contraception also known as “morning-after pill”, are methods that women can use after an unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. Since its introduction, emergency contraception has remained the most widely debated form of contraception mainly because it offers a second chance to prevent unwanted pregnancy.1
Over the last decades, several researchers have identified unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion as a major threat to the reproductive health of young adults in developing countries.2 An estimated 3.1 million unintended pregnancies occur every year in the United States3 and 76 million in the developing countries.4 In the united states, about half (49%) of all pregnancies are unintended; half of these are terminated by abortion5. The WHO in 2006 estimated 13% of the approximately 585,000 maternal deaths each year worldwide to have resulted from unsafe abortion 6.Induced abortion currently accounts for 20,000 of the estimated 50,000 material deaths that occur in Nigeria each year.7
Several studies have shown that teenagers represent a large proportion of the women admitted to hospitals for complications following unsafe abortions. In a Nigeria study, of the 13 hospitalized women who died from complications of abortion, 9 were aged 21 or younger, and about up to 80% of patients with abortion related complication are adolescent8. Similarly a community based study of abortion prevalence found that one-third of women who obtained abortion were adolescents9.
Information about contraception will be important in adolescent acceptance and use of contraception at first intercourse. It has been shown that adolescent who are not sexually active tend to know less about contracepti...
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This review shows that the decision for a woman to use ECP depend on individual situations in terms of age, country of residence, level of education, past reproductive experiences as well as depth of religious commitment. It also shows that a number of social and psychological factors may further influence emergency contraceptive use. Unintended pregnancy and unsafe abortion are major public health burden that has not been effectively tackled over the last decades despite the scaling up of reproductive and family health services. Understanding the reason for this trend will enable the development of focus innovative interventions to tackle this problem. Adequate and correct information about this method of contraception among young adult is therefore imperative in strategizing on how to reverse this trend and help secure the reproductive health of our women.
Last Tuesday, advisors to the Food and Drug administration voted to make the "morning-after" pill available over-the-counter (1). The FDA has not yet acted on this recommendation (1). The morning-after pill is the vernacular term for emergency contraception, specifically, two pills with the commercial name, "Plan B", which have the ability to inhibit and, depending on one's perspective, possibly to terminate unwanted pregnancies. The FDA approved the first version of the morning-after pill for prescription use in 1998 (1). The issue today is whether it should be available without a prescription.
In today's world, the subject of abortion is a very controversial issue. Some people are totally decided on pro-life or pro-choice, but most are somewhere in between and have mixed feelings. Abortion has been a very important issue since the early 1980's when the topic started to gain popularity. Since then, horrible things have happened to put abortions in the hot seat. There have been bombings on clinics, murders of abortion doctors, and protests that have turned violent. There should be a more discrete and private way to have an abortion without all those hassles. There has been development of a new pill that can help to cool down some heated abortion issues. The new pill is called the RU-486, or commonly referred to as the morning after pill. If the new pill is made legal, it can create a private way for women to have an abortion without having a surgical procedure done, and the pressures of the surrounding world would not be there influencing their decisions.
In a 2006 study conducted by the CDC, it was reported that 53-56% of abortions were performed on white women between the ages of 20 and 29. Among the 46 states that provided data consistently during 1996--2006, a total of 835,134 abortions (98.7% of the total) were reported; the abortion rate was 16.1 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15--44 years, and the abortion ratio was 236 abortions per 1,000 live births. During the previous decade (1997--2006), reported abortion numbers, rates, and ratios decreased 5.7%, 8.8%, and 14.8%, respectively; most of these declines occurred before 2001. During the previous year (2005--2006), the total number of abortions increased 3.1%, and the abortion rate increased 3.2%; the abortion ratio was stable. (CDC, 2009)
The most common conflicts that cause a woman to get an abortion are based on their own personal responsibilities. Sixteen percent of women, who get abortions, believe that their life would be changed too much to acquire a child. Twenty-one percent of expectant mothers feel that they are not ready for the responsibility to care for an adolescent. Few as twelve percent have complications with relationships or are unmarried. One perecent have been raped and/or incested. Twenty-one percent have financial disputes. Eight percent currently bare children and have all they wish for. Three percent have discovered that the baby in the womb has health issues. Four perecent of the abortions are other reasons. Lastly, the abortion pill used to minimize the fetus, does not work, therefore the woman receives an
Simonds, W., & Ellertson, C. (2004). Emergency contraception and morality: reflections of health care workers and clients. Social Science & Medicine, 58(7), 1285-1297.
Karanja, J., Muganyizi, P., Rwamushaija, E., Hodoglugil, N., & Holm, E. (2013). Confronting maternal mortality due to postpartum hemorrhage and unsafe abortion: A call for commitment. African Journal of Reproductive Health, 17(2), 20. Retrieved from http://www.ajrh.info/vol17_no2/17_2_article2.php
Freely accessible birth control for teenagers has always been a topic of debate, but it prevents pregnancy, abortion, and it also has many health benefits. There are cons to the argument that suggests a rise in promiscuity in the adolescent demographic, but in spite of these cons the rise of birth control continues, because access to birth control helps adolescents make an informed and safe decision on whether or not to participate in sexual activities. It doesn’t make the decision for them.
If women were more informed on the appropriate use of emergency contraceptive, whether they are safe and also effective, then there would potentially be a decrease in unexpected pregnancies, and abortions. Women are often uninformed of emergency contraceptives, and although the lack of knowledge is obvious among the younger population, it seem to be even more obvious in the population of women over 30. There has only been a very small amount of researches done in regards to the counseling of emergency contraception and the way it was used, this would only be the third research conducted regarding this matter. Data was collected via questionnaire from the NSFG in 2002 from female respondents. The study collected a representative sample of 7,643 U.S women in the reproductive ages of 15-44 that were in civilian households. The women completed computer-assisted, face-to-face interviews that collected information of whether they have ever been informed of emergency contraception based on their age, race, ethnic background, marital status, if they have ever had an abortion, how old they were we they first had sex, and their education level.
Abortion is considered to be one of the most highly controversial issue in today’s society. As defined by the 2013 Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary, an abortion is, “the termination of a pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death of the embryo or fetus.” Abortion is purely based on opinion, so there are some who consider themselves as “Pro-Life” and others who consider themselves as “Pro-Choice”. Regardless of which side of the issue you choose, if you do not see how the terms “Pro-Life” and “Pro-Choice” play a large role in United States major elections in today’s society you do not fully understand the major concepts about this subject. Abortion should remain a legal option for women since the government has no right to interfere with a woman’s personal decisions.
For thousands of years, people have used various birth control methods to limit the number of children in their families. Birth control encompasses a wide range of devices along with rational and irrational methods that have been used in an attempt to prevent pregnancy. It has been and remains controversial. Today, birth control is an essential part of life. In fact, 99% American women of childbearing age report using some form of contraception at one time or another (NIBH). In his book, The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution, author Jonathan Eig writes "For as long as men and women have been making babies, they 've been trying not to” (Gibson). He reports that early contraceptive options offered
Female contraception was first defined in the late 1800’s as the deliberate prevention of conception or impregnation by various techniques, drugs, or devices. The access of female contraception for women has been a subject of debate for thousands of years. Women should have access to contraception because of the health benefits it provides not only physically, but mentally. The use of female contraception supports gender equality, and lastly, the use of contraception provides new arguments against an aging Catholic church.
Expecting to completely eliminate abortions from the face of the earth by making them illegal and getting rid of the facilities that provide them is an awfully absurd idea due to the fact that abortions will never cease to exist. Induced abortions have taken place all over the world, and “societies have [been struggling with] the issue of abortion for millennia” (Abortion). Within countries where abortions are essentially illegal, many turn to unsafe abortion methods, usually performed by unskilled practitioners (Chapter 5). These procedures are “often unsanitary… and [result] in the death or mutilation of many women” (Abortion). In areas where these services are not attainable, many women are prompted to seek out specialists to assist them in dangerous and surreptitious methods of abortion such as repeated blows to the stomach and the insertion of bizarre objects in the vagina and cervix. However, abortion-related deaths are usually quite rare in developed countries where the service is both legal and accessible. It is estimated...
The moral community defines the intentional killing of a non-aggressor to be a wrongful act. However, they accept the killing of a non-human, provided that one can present sufficient moral benefit from the action, like the hunting of animals for food. Analyzing these two acts, we find that the difference lies in the beings’ values upon which we place. Intuitively, we agree on the basis that humans have the right to life and that we have an obligation to protect it. I raise the question: In regards to the human fetus, where on the continuum of development can you place human value?
The use of contraception was never as widely proclaimed and exhibited as it is now. The use of contraception has become so mainstream, that it is now “normal” for even teens to use these contraceptives. Schools promote the use of this once taboo practice of artificial birth control, and partake in the distribution of condoms amongst students. This is a clear example of how modern society and its practices can change the way people act morally and physically.
What creates individuality in us is the ability to have the right to our own opinion. As the rape culture and teenage pregnancy becomes a more apparent issue, abortion surfaces itself as a leading topic in today’s society. Although contraception may be an option for everyone, there are still risks involved and mistakes to be made. Females from a wide range of age groups frequently have abortions today because of wrong decisions and special circumstances. We see various advertisements and propaganda emerging all around us. The news media still continue to outline the pros and cons of having an abortion. Abortion has been the subject of debate for centuries between many human rights activists, religious groups, and even health care practitioners.