Accessibility to certain reproductive care subject to change

The Supreme Court ruling that FDA-approved abortion pills will remain accessible is only a temporary decision pending a permanent decision on a proposed ban. 

The temporary decision regarding the pills came after U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk initiated a nationwide ban on mifepristone back in April. Discussions on whether the ban is a good or bad idea created clashes in opinions from many groups in the U.S.

Many states have already put laws in place that could have dangerous consequences to women seeking abortions. In states like Texas, a woman cannot receive an abortion or any type of medical procedure that would pose a threat towards the pregnancy. That has left many women to either continue the pregnancy, despite possible health risks, or to travel states over for the procedure.

“Anytime services are taken away from communities, especially services that affect minorities, women, anything like that, it really does potentially have the ability to affect those communities negatively,” said Angie Brown, director of student health services.

Some ways in which women have found to get around the laws being put in place preventing them from receiving the necessary medical care, are seeking out medications that would induce the abortion. These abortion pills have become both a savior and a risk-factor concerning primarily the health of women. 

“Personally I think it would bring a lot of good because it would save the lives of unborn babies and lives of women that could get hurt or die from abortion pills,” said SUNY Oswego’s College Republicans President Abigayle Jordal.

Many discussions surrounding the topic of abortion have always had two sides; one that is in full support for the women’s choice and the other skeptical over using drugs to terminate a growing life. The ban, to some, is seen as a harmful approach in facing the issues of abortions that denies women medical care that already feels like it’s slowly vanishing.

Birth control pills have been and continue to be a primary contraceptive as a means to protect women from unwanted pregnancies. Abortion pills are also a means to induce an abortion in a pregnancy that is past the time frame which can’t be aborted traditionally. If both methods of preventing pregnancies and terminating pregnancies, regardless of reasoning, are taken away, how will women feel confident in reproductive care with this sudden change?

“It takes away options and choices for people that have to potentially make either very hard decisions or potentially seek care in very unsafe and unhealthy ways,” said Brown.

The arguments from the opposing side of the topic that feel differently about the ban. Those who are Republican or anti-abortion feel that the ban could improve the issues of abortions as a whole.

Jordal described a variety of risks of symptoms that come with taking an abortion pill and birth control. She also describes how women are negatively affected by both medications and in some instances have posed a threat to women’s health.

“There are many other different routes to go that aren’t abortion,” said Jordal.

Jordal says that abortion pills, let alone abortions, shouldn’t be the immediate option when deciding the fate of the pregnancy. That there are many alternative methods for both the mother and baby, such as adoption.

Further decisions regarding any decisions regarding abortion pill will be in the hands of the Supreme Court as they have banned any lower courts from ruling about them till a definite decision has been made.