By Arthur Caplan
Art Caplan has a new Viewpoint article out in Time discussing Plan B’s impact on late trimester abortion:
Gosnell was a stop of last resort for woman late in their pregnancies. They sought an abortion past the point of fetal viability — a choice illegal in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States. For these women, Gosnell and his ilk are their only option.
But regardless of the outcome of Gosnell’s trial, the need for late trimester abortion is going to disappear. Even surgical abortion will be a thing of the past, as the abortion clinic slowly gives way to pharmaceutical abortion.
More and more women will be using cheap and readily available emergency contraception, not abortion. The FDA just announced that Plan B can be sold over-the-counter to buyers as young as 15. Other women will use mifepristone when they choose to end a pregnancy within the first seven weeks. They won’t be faced with the choice of a third trimester abortion because they will be able to easily access pharmaceutical options. The awful horror of Gosnell will disappear not as a result of legislation or protests or even trials but as a result of affordable pills that are easy to use.
Take a look here.
