The Pill that Still Hasn’t Changed the Politics of Abortion

When the abortion drug mifepristone first became legally available in the U.S., in 2000, it seemed to carry with it the potential for a ceasefire in the abortion wars. Because the pills could be administered in a variety of medical settings, and the abortion itself took place at home, the new regimen offered an alternative to the freestanding clinics that had become flashpoints for protest. So-called medical (as opposed to surgical) abortions could occur earlier in gestation, almost as soon as a woman realized that she was pregnant. Americans had fewer moral qualms about abortions performed at this stage, and women preferred to have them then. The drug seemed to unfurl a vision of the future in which abortion was less politicized, more private, and more seamlessly and matter-of-factly folded into heath care. In 1999, I wrote a story on the subject, which my editors at the Times Magazine headlined “The Little White Bombshell: This Pill Will Change Everything.” It was hype, but it reflected a mood that was real.

See the rest of the story at newyorker.com

Related:
Daily Cartoon: Thursday, March 31st
Daily Cartoon: Tuesday, November 10th
Ted Cruz Vs. Margaret Sanger’s Portrait