# Pro choicers: What (if anything) is wrong with using abortion as a form of birth control? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 15, 2012, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601 "2012-08-15T20:27:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/21 "2012-08-15T23:46:50Z")
I’m pro-choice but I really don’t like the idea of using abortion as BC. I guess it’s the ‘ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’, abortion used that way just seems like a waste to me. I don’t think abortion is something that should be taken lightly like it’s no big deal. It may not be a viable life, but it is a potential life. Back in the 70’s I knew a woman who wouldn’t use BC because it wasn’t ‘natural’. She used wooden combs, wouldn’t eat meat, wouldn’t use anything made of plastic. So every other month or so she’d be off to the clinic to get an abortion. It bothered even the most liberal of my feminist friends. Of course that she also didn’t believe in deodorant and toothpaste had us all wondering how she was getting pregnant in the first place. You never wanted to be standing downwind of her on a summer day. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/22 "2012-08-15T23:50:48Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > Maybe not to you. My blood is alive, and it’s healthy, and I give it away to strangers when I donate without any moral qualms at all. I don’t see a clump of stem cells as any different. I should have more qualms about giving away my blood – it actually keeps me alive. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/23 "2012-08-16T00:54:20Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > No moral issues wrt the fetus itself. I would be angry that they’re tying up valuable healthcare resources, though. Especially if they utilized any form of reduced-cost or free service. Birth control is cheap, easy, effective, and doesn’t waste doctors’ time every time she gets unlucky. A widespread practice such as this might lead to increasing the price of abortions for everybody. And using up free services reduces the amount of free services available to low-income people who may need them just as much, if not more, than her > [@sahirrnee](#): > > I’m pro-choice but I really don’t like the idea of using abortion as BC. I guess it’s the ‘ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’ That. From where I sit non-invasive prevention is generally to be preferred to invasive fixes _ **if you have that choice** _. If employed as “routine” BC, _ **when alternatives are available and accessible** _, surgical abortion’s an invasive, resource-intensive answer to an issue that could be relatively simply and inexpensively prevented – of course if employed because of problems with accessibility and a vailability of preventive methods, it’s a no-brainer. I want it to be as safe and effective as possible but I find it hard to imagine it would be more convenient or less of a hassle than any other noninvasive method. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/24 "2012-08-16T01:04:16Z")
> [@olivesmarch4th](#): > > [QUOTE=Der Trihs] > So is a tumor. Just because something is alive doesn’t make killing it wrong, or morally significant. Maybe not to you. [/QUOTE] To nearly anyone. What do you think you are eating? Plants are just as alive as animals. For that matter, just sitting around doing nothing your immune system is constantly killing microorganisms that are just as _alive_ as you or I am. ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/25 "2012-08-16T01:37:02Z")
Not knowing how to research this - what is the cost of the morning after pill relative to monthly BC? I realize the name is ‘morning after’, and the idea is take it, well, the morning after unprotected sex. But would it work if a woman took it as soon as her period was late? People seem to be concentrating on surgical abortions, but I’d think RU-### (what is that number?) would be as good or better of a choice in most cases. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/26 "2012-08-16T02:01:54Z")
I’m not certain, but I recall seeing stories that it needed to used within 72 hours. Numbers came up like that again when stories popped up about christian pharmacies refusing to make them available in some some areas. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/27 "2012-08-16T02:08:56Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > Not knowing how to research this - what is the cost of the morning after pill relative to monthly BC? I realize the name is ‘morning after’, and the idea is take it, well, the morning after unprotected sex. But would it work if a woman took it as soon as her period was late? “The morning after pill” is Plan B, generic name levonorgestrel. It’s NOT the same thing as ru-486, generic name Mifepristone, aka “the abortion pill”. The morning after pill IS essentially monthly BC, only a larger dose of it (1.5mg for Plan B, taken at once, or in two equally divided doses 12 hours apart; some measure of micrograms for daily birth control pills). It works best taken within 3 days of unprotected sex, although some studies show it to be effective more often than not as many as 5 days after unprotected sex. So, no, you can’t use it once your period is late. It prevents ovulation, prevents fertilization and may prevent implantation of a fertilized ovum, but it will not dislodge a pregnancy that’s already implanted. It will not, in other words, cause a miscarriage or abortion. This website lists it as $35-60 at pharmacies, but I’ve seen it at pharmacies around here for around $70. [http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/eccost.html](http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/eccost.html) If you’re too young in your state to buy it without a prescription, you’ll have to add a doctor’s visit to that cost. ru-486, mifepristone, the “abortion pill”, is approved in the US for terminating a pregnancy up to 49 days, or 7 weeks gestation. In some countries, it is approved for use with other drugs for causing abortions up to 24 weeks. We also use it here “off-label” to dilate the cervix to induce labor or to prepare the cervix for insertion of an IUD. (And, oddly enough, it’s showing some real promise as an antidepressant!) It will cause the cervix to soften and dilate and an implanted embryo to dislodge from the uterine wall. In the US, another medication, misoprostol, is then given to cause uterine contractions which expel the contents of the uterus, including the embryo. In other words, it causes a miscarriage/abortion. The cost of an ru-486 abortion, called a “medical abortion” to distinguish it from a surgical abortion, can vary a lot. It’s not unusual for it to be at least $100 more than a surgical abortion, and sometimes double, because multiple office visits are needed. The pills alone cost nearly $300, plus office fees. Planned Parenthood gives the range as $300-800. [http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/abortion-pill-medication-abortion-4354.asp](http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/abortion-pill-medication-abortion-4354.asp) A first trimester surgical abortion can vary a lot in price, depending on location, subsidies, anesthetics chosen and the need for follow-up appointments, but $350-600 is the range I see most often. [Is Abortion Legal in Every State?](http://civilliberty.about.com/od/abortion/f/Average-Cost-of-an-Abortion.htm) Daily birth control runs the gamut from free (with insurance, a state card or sliding scale clinics) to around $50 a month, plus a yearly doctor/midwife visit for the prescription. [http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/birth-control-pill-4228.htm](http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/birth-control/birth-control-pill-4228.htm) ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/28 "2012-08-16T02:11:23Z")
With thirty seconds of Googling, I learned from [Plan B’s website](http://www.planbonestep.com/plan-b-faq.aspx) that it must be taken within 72 hours to be effective. Plan B is not the same as RU-486. [Plan B vs. RU-486.](http://ec.princeton.edu/questions/ecnotru.html) Planned Parenthood quotes the cost of Plan B at [$10 to $75](http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/emergency-contraception-morning-after-pill-4363.asp), which I’d assume varies depending on location, insurance, sliding-scale fees, etc. They also quote the average cost of a surgical abortion as [between $300 and $950](http://www.plannedparenthood.org/health-topics/abortion/in-clinic-abortion-procedures-4359.asp), which again will vary depending on location, insurance coverage, sliding scale fees, and if there are any difficulties or extras involved in the procedure. (For example, twilight anesthesia vs. a local vs. a general anesthetic, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/29 "2012-08-16T05:31:40Z")
Well I probably would think she was either a little nuts or more than a little stupid. But I wouldn’t stop her. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/30 "2012-08-16T05:37:43Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > So what would be wrong if a woman had it in her mind: "Ya’ know what? Screw condoms, I don’t like the way that they feel. And birth control pills? Nah, they make me moody. And I damn sure aint get’n my tubes tied. > > I’m single and I’m gonna fuck like crazy. If I happen to get pregnant, I’ll just get an abortion. No big deal, it’s not like it’s a real human anyway." > > Do you see any moral issues with this? If so, what are they? For me, no. I would say it’s a stupid form of birth control because getting an abortion can take a physical and psychologic toll on the woman. But as long as you believe in abortion on demand (up to some point during pregnancy), then a woman should be able to get an abortion anytime she gets pregnant for any reason or no reason at all. I wouldn’t think much of a person who did that because, like I said, it’s a pretty stupid thing to do. But that’s another matter. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/31 "2012-08-16T06:25:18Z")
No moral issue here, I could care less if someone had 50 abortions. They ain’t cheap, though, so it’s a definite sign of being unhinged if that’s what you are doing repeatedly rather than taking some sort of precaution against pregnancy. Unlike most, it seems, I think safe, legal medical abortion is just grand, and should be celebrated. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/32 "2012-08-16T06:37:27Z")
I believe in doing early small treatment for medical issues, rather than wait til something becomes urgent. So, I remove splinters before they get infected, I wash cuts and scrapes and apply antibiotic cream as soon as possible, etc. Small routine treatment is generally less expensive and less risky than urgent care. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/33 "2012-08-16T06:49:37Z")
I am not sure how using abortion as the sole method of BC differs significantly from using it as a back-up to BC, at least morally. Either she is ok with the idea of abortion or she is not. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/34 "2012-08-16T06:59:26Z")
Russia had the biggest number of abortions up untill 2004, and I recall that that was because abortion was used as a sort of late BC. [Wiki says:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Russia) > [@](#): > > One of the few insights we have regarding abortion during the late 1950s is a survey, conducted between 1958 and 1959, of 26,000 women seeking abortions, 20,000 from urban areas and 6,000 from rural areas. Several interesting facts can be gathered from this survey regarding what kind of women sought abortions and their reasons for doing so. First of all, an “overwhelming majority” of the women were married, though the survey results do not give an exact percentage. … > The survey also examined women’s reasons for seeking abortions. It divided the reasons into four categories. The first was “unconditionally removable”, things that could be remedied by government action, such as material need, lack of space, no one at home, or no institution to put child in. The second category was “conditionally removable”, things that might possibly be remedied by government action, such as the absence of husband, family troubles, or illness of one of both parents. The third category was “unremovable”, things that were not caused by social conditions, such as a baby in family or many children already. The fourth category was “unclear causes”, such as one or both parents unwilling to have a child and other or multiple reasons. > The results for this question were: of the reasons given by urban women, 35% were unconditionally removable, 16.5%, were conditionally removable, 10% were unremovable, and 37.9% were unclear. Of the reasons given by rural women, 26.3% were unconditionally removable, 18% were conditionally removable, 10% were unremovable, and 45.2% were unclear. The most marked different was that more urban women cited lack of space as a reason. The survey results found that abortion rates were much higher among women who work, unsurprisingly, with a rate of 105.5 abortions per thousand pregnancies, as against 41.5 per thousand in women who did not work. > If the abortion rates of this survey are taken to be representative, then during this time period the number of annual abortions was higher than the number of live births. **This would also mean that the abortion rates in the Soviet Union were the highest of any in the world at this time.** [12] ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/35 "2012-08-16T07:18:17Z")
I think it’s probably a _really, really_ bad idea, for various reasons, but, I’m pro-choice, so… Her body, \*\*\*her \*\*\*choice. End of story. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/36 "2012-08-16T08:58:40Z")
> [@Noone\_Special](#): > > Her body, \*\*\*her \*\*\*choice. End of story. This, pretty much. I may not think her reasoning is the soundest, but it ain’t my business for the most part (I can imagine having stronger feelings about it if I were in some sort of relationship with her where having kids was a possible option). ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/37 "2012-08-16T10:08:17Z")
Ye gods, abortion in Rumania was even worse then in Russia. > **[Abortion in Romania](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_in_Romania)** > > Abortion in Romania is currently legal as an elective procedure during the first 14 weeks of pregnancy, and for medical reasons at later stages of pregnancy. In the year 2004, there were 216,261 live births and 191,000 reported abortions, meaning that 46% of the 407,261 reported pregnancies that year ended in abortion. > Elective abortion care was also legal in Romania from 1957 to 1966. From 1967 to 1990 abortion was severely restricted, in an effort of the Communist leadership to increase the fe... First, abortion is a no-questions asked form of late birth control because the country can’t provide real BC for its citizens. Resulting in about half of the pregnancies ending in abortion . Someone better at Googling then I am might come up with studies how all those women have felt having to get abortions rather then having access to real BC. Then Madman Ceasescu gets it into his stark raving mad head, that the Glorious Nation Of Rumania needs a higher birthrate. Wham-bam, abortion is outlawed. But there is still no BC available. Ceausescu promises daycares and benefits for moms and working moms, but those never materialize. Result: disasters of orphanages stuffed to the brim with unwanted children. A whole generation of children scarred or murdered by the lack of care in those orphanages. Just reading about it makes me want to kill those responsible. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/38 "2012-08-16T11:00:04Z")
> [@shiftless](#): > > I’m just a guy but my understanding is that abortions are not done using unobtrusive magic. It is basically outpatient surgery and not something that is done lightly, or often, without possible health consequences. There are both moral and physical issues at stake. That is why I think the person on the spot is the one who needs to decide if an abortion is the right course. > > I think a person who uses abortion as birth control is an idiot and is doing harm to herself but I don’t have the abilty to tell someone’s motive by looking at them. Maybe it would be a good idea to require some kind of consoling for those who have more than x abortions. I don’t know a good value for x. But the OP directly took “health issues” off the table, which is like taking them off the table in a question about the advantages of vaccinating over not. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/39 "2012-08-16T12:31:19Z")
> [@Maastricht](#): > > Just reading about it makes me want to kill those responsible. About 22 years too late on that one… ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601/40 "2012-08-16T12:51:02Z")
> [@Trinopus](#): > > It’s like not having insurance, but, instead, paying the full price for any damages you might cause or incur. Yeah, it’s a “fix,” but it’s the most expensive fix! Why not just get the insurance, eh? Take the pill, use the latex thingummy, the spermicide cream, or get yerself snipped. > > Also, at a meta-level, why give ammunition to the side that wants to ban the procedure for everyone, for always, by using it in the manner they claim we all want to use it? It’s like when some nitwit shoots up a restaurant, and gun-rights organizations sigh heavily: another idiot imperiling our rights by acting irresponsibly. This is almost word-for-word what I came here to post, so I’m just going to quote it and say “This.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-choicers-what-if-anything-is-wrong-with-using-abortion-as-a-form-of-birth-control/631601.md?page=3)