So my friend had sex with his gf a while ago and he just found out she's pregnant. I'm against abortion but it's his life and everything they can do what they want. He wants to get an abortion and he heard of this pill called RU-486. I read at one place that it was safe and shit, and then I found articles about all these people dying from it. Anyone know much about it or had any experiences? Can you even get it anywhere and is it legal?

How does his girlfriend feel about this situation? She is the only one that has the right to choose.

No. I am Pentium 2.

Read about RU-486 here. (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/library/ABORTION/Mif_fact.html)

Taking a pill seems like a tidy, non-invasive way to have an abortion, but it doesn't seem to me to be a good idea.

Aside from the pharmaceutical side effects, consider how this works. It causes chemical and hormonal changes that cause the body to reject the embryo. This can take days, even a couple of weeks. The woman can look forward to severe cramping, nausea, headaches, fatigue, insomnia and severe cramping again. This sounds like a painful, prolonged way to abort.

The surgical method, while invasive, is over in minutes and when it's done, it's done (usually). It's not as private, but it's quicker and has fewer side effects.

Millions more people die from Asprin than the RU-486. The fatal complications don't come from the pill itself, but the possibility of TSS during the after effects. Cramping and bleeding will definitely occur, but if the cramps or blood is anything more than she is used to, she should see a doctor immediately.

True, the fatality rate is not a concern.

Just to clarify, though, it's a certainty that the cramps and bleeding will be more than a woman is used to, since it basically amounts to an induced miscarriage. There will be considerably more material to expel than with a normal menstrual period.

It's hard to tell what's "normal" to expect with an RU-486 abortion since not many women go through this sort of thing more than once.

Sounds right to me. I'm basing all this off an article I read about a girl who took the RU-486 and died of TSS which could have been easily avoided had she seen a doctor. She experienced major bleeding and cramps but just figured it was normal.

Actually, she did go see a doctor. But she was so embarassed to admit she had an abortion she never mentioned it...to a freakin' doctor! He gave her some pain killers and sent her home. She was dead within the hour.

Damn shame, eh? If only those 'pro-lifers' hadn't shamed her so much to the point of denying her actions- even to a doctor, she'd still be alive.