Researched Position Paper

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Researched Position Paper

A news article was published in the online magazine, NewStatesman America (a London based cultural and political magazine) written by Sophie McBain on 24th May 2019. This article titled “Why so many American women are ordering abortion pills online” has discussed the reasons for terminating pregnancies in America through self-medicated pills. This article includes opinions from various activists who are in favor of using abortion pills because of their medical safety and feasibility for American women in general (Why so Many American Women Are Ordering Abortion Pills Online).

This article revolves around the legal case of Roe v. Wade which was an attempt at making abortion a criminal offense in the 1970s in the United States of America, and it was legalized by the Statues in Texas. The landmark decision of Roe v. Wade overturned these statutes by calling it a violation of the rights of the privacy of women and lifted the ban from abortion and allowed the state interference in stopping the abortion process only under special circumstances. After this ruling came out in 1973, since then, the states of Georgia and Alabama are going against this ruling by trying to restore the abortion ban in their respective states. The article foresees the possible outcome of self-medicated abortions in the future, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade in these states (Roe v. Wade).

The article stresses the main point that even if these states ban abortion, many active women-led groups and organizations are providing the pills online to terminate the unwanted pregnancies. Moreover, it also makes it to a point that the ban on abortion is legal in the states of Georgia and Alabama. It is against the liberal rights of women over their bodies as per the American constitution.

The columnist then cites research from the Guttmacher Institute to appeal the logos as it compares the rate of abortion in the countries where it is allowed as a legal practice with the countries where it is illegal. The results show that illegal abortions are reported in a high number in such states where it is banned by the law and state. The report of the World Health Organization is mentioned to make audience aware of statistics around the world. This report shows that every year, 4.7-13.2 % of maternal deaths occur due to unsafe abortions. It makes it to the point to make the reader understand the ineffectiveness of this ban through recorded stats and figures. It then explains the history of self-administrative abortion practices in Latin-America as an abortive practice against the state-administered ban on safe abortion practices in the 1980s. These pills are used in medical practices since then and in many countries, women are using these pills for safely terminating their pregnancies. (Nivedita and Shanthini, 2015).

Correspondent McBain then adopts a generalized to specific approach and draws a comparison between Medical abortions and pills to tell the audience about the economic cost of the former method. She says that medical abortions are highly expensive and they include heavy taxes too and a woman already earning low cannot afford this healthcare right. This comparison is an attempt at appealing the ethical senses of the audience as American citizens and it also questions the ethical state values. Moreover, she states records found in the many American counties and appeals to the logos of her audience by providing them with shocking facts that in 90 percent counties, no abortion clinic has ever made. She is using the technique of satire by ridiculing the state and legislation’s measures taken for women healthcare in America as “in part thanks to state-led efforts to defund family planning clinics and impose onerous restrictions on abortion providers” (McBain, 2019). McBain points at the ineffective and baseless counsel sessions held by various states which make a minor abort only after getting her parent's consent. This mandatory prerequisite also results in effecting the self-esteem and liberty of minor teenage girls. This fact evokes the logical sense of the female audience that why these bans and counseling session is illogical and unnecessary. Similarly, she appreciates the role played by the networks and organizations in providing women with abortion pills. “Now, thanks to a network of women’s organizations, abortion pills are also offering women who are already feeling the impact of state-level restrictions a safe way to terminate their pregnancy” (McBain, 2019). This remark mocks at the stern attitude adopted by state to evoke the pathos of the female audience.

Correspondent McBain gives an example of a charity organization "Aid Access" founded under the banner of a non-profit organization and it provides women and girls with counseling sessions and safely delivers the pills to them. The writer has also mentioned the name of these commonly used drugs "misoprostol and mifepristone" and vouches for their next to none side effects to invocate the logos. She also states her observations and facts made by her correspondence with another magazine, The Guardian. A member of "Aid Access" verifies the online facts and figures that, during 6 months in 2019, the abortion pills are requested by 21,000 women. These women belong from those areas where abortions are banned and to invoke an emotional response from the audience, she then shares the details of violent measures taken by the pregnant women such as the use of force or receiving consensual beatings to terminate their pregnancies.

To create a local semblance, the columnist mentions an American NGO named “Plan C," founded by two American women and their efforts at providing women with the pills and also ensuring its safe usage by the masses (PLAN C). Moreover, McBain specifically mentions the states such as Georgia, Washington State, Maine, Oregon, New York, New Mexico, Hawaii and Colorado where abortion bans are enforced and a large number of women from these states avail contraceptive pills through an online avenue "TelAbortion." She mentions her corresponding details with the member of “Plan C” and testifies their legal terms of use and a report card maintained by this organization to safe women from scams (PLAN C). The medically monitored use of these drugs by the NGOs negates that these pills are carelessly distributed among the women to use because states discourage the idea of self-medication or self-administered abortions by using drugs (Munshi, et.al, 2018). She also points at state-level interference to stop the production and distribution of these drugs by the Federal Drugs Administration.

In the latter part of the article, McBain reveals the possible reasons for non-surgical abortion bans and they are not based on the medical grounds instead of on the political grounds. This shocking discovery evokes both the logos and ethos for her audience because generally, politicians claim to safeguard the rights of citizens in America (Lawrence et., al, 2006). Women cannot have abortions in their homes by using telemedicine services because the law made by the eighteen states in America makes it mandatory to administer the women during abortion. Painkiller is then compared with Mifepristone (abortion pill) and the writer makes another shocking discovery that people are more likely to have adverse side effects through the use of painkillers. On the contrary, Mifepristone is a strictly monitored drug and is not readily available at the pharmacies or even to doctors without any instruction. Such researched facts appear logical to the mass audience because facts contain more evidence-based research.

She openly disagrees with the state's concerns based on the medical and safety grounds and says “This all means that at present, the biggest risk faced by women who self-administer abortions seems to be legal, rather than medical” (Why so Many American Women Are Ordering Abortion Pills Online). She mentions the US anarchy against the 21 women who were prosecuted for using these pills and the state is continuing to arrest women who practice self-administrated or self-medicated abortions. America is a liberal state by law but these practices are denying the rights of women that they have over their bodies. Moreover, abortion can be made easy through the state's involvement in it instead of using force to stop this medical treatment. McBain also brings attention to the World Health Organization's guidelines that reassure women towards the safe use of abortion drugs when they cannot seek any medical assistance.

In conclusion, writer McBain refers back to her initial thesis statement that abortions can either made illegal or administratively controlled by overturning Roe v. Wade but women cannot stop self-medicated abortions as it is both convenient and safe for them on the medical grounds.

This article is effective in bringing the attention of the mass audience, especially women towards the State-administered ban and the use of legislation to ban abortion and also to curb the practices of self-medicated abortion through drugs. However, the tone of this essay makes it look aggressive and highly emotive, for instance, the columnist mentions the state legislatures as “anti-abortion fanatics” for an added emotive effect (Why so Many American Women Are Ordering Abortion Pills Online). Moreover, she has not mentioned the varying views of the audience regarding this practice because first-hand experiences give more details. Similarly, the experiences of those women who these drugs, Misoprostol and Mifepristone are not mentioned. Public opinions and anecdotes provide the audience with a unicentric point of view. Although the columnist has mentioned many correspondences done with the spokespersons or the reporters from other magazines, the experiences of victims and survivors of these drugs can add more authenticity and integrity in the article. Furthermore, State and Individual rift need to be bridged regarding the abortion issue, but the mocking or satirical diction used by the writer may turn both of these groups against each other.

Last but not the least, through the available facts and figures, the argument of the article is delivered successfully by the writer as it discusses the historical facts, legal rights of the women and, most importantly, the need for healthcare for women in the form of self-medicated abortions.

Works Cited

Finer, Lawrence B., et al. "Timing of steps and reasons for delays in obtaining abortions in the United States." Contraception 74.4 (2006): 334-344.

Munshi, Kavina S., Rajal V. Thaker, Jagruti M. Shah, and Bhavna N. Mewada. “Self-Medication of Abortion Pills and Its Complications: An Observational Study.” International Journal of Reproduction, Contraception, Obstetrics and Gynecology 7, no. 1 (December 25, 2017): 205–9. https://doi.org/10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20175846.

Oyez. “Roe v. Wade.” Accessed November 11, 2019. https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18.

PLAN C: A Safe abortion with pills. “PLAN C: A Safe Abortion with Pills.” Accessed November 11, 2019. https://plancpills.org.

“Why so Many American Women Are Ordering Abortion Pills Online.” Accessed November 11, 2019. https://www.newstatesman.com/world/north-america/2019/05/why-so-many-american-women-are-ordering-abortion-pills-online.