The Compass Wednesday, December 6. 2000 5
RU-486:
The New Abortion Pill
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JAMES HILL
ECSTASY:
A NEW EPIDEMIC
DeTra Stith
depot9@hotmail.com
Mifepristone, a drug for a relatively
new abortion pill, which is also known
as RU-486, was approved by the Food
and Drug Administration early this fall.
The drug, which was developed by a
French pharmaceutical firm, Roussel-
UCLAF, is an anti-progesterone drug
that blocks receptors of progesterone
(progesterone is a key hormone in the
establishment and maintenance of
pregnancy), and if used at a substan
tially lower amount and administered
within five days of unprotected sex, it
can be used as a morning after pill.
Over the past few months since
Mifepristone has been available, there
have been debates on whether or not
the abortion pill should be offered on
college campuses.
According to a spokesperson for
EUzabeth City State University's Stu
dent Health Center, the pill is not avail
able to ECSU students. "We as employ
ees of the infirmary only deal with the
distiibution of condoms for males and
females. As far as birth contiol pills
and any other medicine, we let the pa
tient decide. We do refer the patient to
a specialist when it comes to pregnan
cies and other extenuating circum
stances the patient may encounter. As
of now though, we have not been ad
dressed as to whether or not the abor
tion pill will come into effect on ECSU's
campus."
Pro-choice activist argue that the
abortion pill should be made widely
accessible because it would allow col
lege-age women the option of a more
private, non-invasive abortion. ECSU
senior, Tina Sneed, on the other hand
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doesn't favor the pill. "I'm not for the
abortion pill. I believe people get abor
tions because they feel they've made a
mistake by getting pregnant, but I don't
believe babies are a mistake. I believe
people are put here for a reason and a
baby's Ufe, once it's conceived, is meant
to be," said Sneed.
In 1988, Mifepristone was first made
available to European women, and
since its inception, the drug has shown
to be effective in terminating 92 per
cent of pregnancies.
The way in which the procedure is
administered is on the first visit, the
patient is given information about the
abortion procedure, consent forms, a
physical examination, a pregnancy test,
an ultiasoimd exam to date the preg
nancy and three tablets of Mifepristone.
Two days later, the patient is given two
tablets of misoprostol, a drug that in
duces uterine contiactions and bleed
ing and can be taken by mouth or as a
vaginal suppository. During the final
visit, which is about 12 days later, the
patient is given an ultrasound exam to
ensure that the abortion is complete.
The side effects of this abortion pro
cedure are those of a spontaneous mis
carriage; severe cramping, heavy bleed
ing, nausea, diarrhea and fatigue. Dur
ing a woman's first trimester, if the
procedure fails, the woman can un
dergo a surgical abortion, which cost
around $350 to $500, the same price as
a non surgical abortion. Health insur
ance plans that cover one will likely
cover the other.
Though Mifepristone has proven to
be effective in terminating pregnancies,
with any abortion there are risks in
volved.
a
Laquisha Tisdal
quisha81@hotmail.com
"Every part of my body, when
touched, sends off waves of pleasure,"
said a college freshman who requested
anonymity as she talked about having
used Ecstasy, the drug that has recently
been the subject of much talk on col
lege campuses locally and nationally.
Ecstasy is an illegal substance that
targets the nerve ceUs in the brain that
release the chemical, serotonin, which
is a neurotransmitter that affects hu
man behavior. The sudden rush to the
brain causes users to feel euphoric and
sexually aroused.
According to the anonymous college
student, the greatest satisfaction they
experienced when using the drug were
long and desirable orgasms.
"I use Ecstasy because it makes me
feel completely at ease, during sex,"
said the freshman.
Also known as MDMA, X , XTC,
Adam and Mitsubishi, Ecstasy was first
created in 1912 as an appetite
suppressant, and in the 70's it was used
as a supplement for psychotherapy for
its supposed ability to increase insight
and empathy. However, currently, it
has no medical significance.
Although it is an illegal substance.
Ecstasy is usually sold in tablet or gela
tin capsules. It is usually taken orally
in doses of 50 to 200mg or snorted.
Though the drug sides weU with
young people, it has dangerous side
effects. Some of the effects include; de
pression, paranoia, permanent brain
damage and seizures.
Other side effects include still-born
or unhealthy babies and erectile
disfunctions in men.
Ecstasy is not subject to government
regulation, which makes the illegal
drug difficult to keep out of the hands
of young people.
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