I completely agree that it is exciting to be living in a time when women can use drugs to safely take care of their own abortions. Thank you so much for this blog post.

I have been recently thinking that women have been doing this illegally for so long; it is absolutely relevant women's health information.

It never ceases to amaze me that anyone would be surprised that women have abortions any way that they can. It makes me wonder through, does Medicaid pay for the "abortion pill", mifepristone?

Having been to a women's rights rally in Chile when I was living there, and talking to some of the activists, I was amazed to discover plans there to ban the morning after pill (MAP), or "Plan B" (I think that's what it's called in the US?). Chile is also quite conservative and Catholic, but is much more developed in an economic sense than a lot of the other Latin American countries. Nevertheless, socially conservative attitudes are the norm, particularly in terms of women and GLBTQ people. I don't know much about the Dominican Republic but I do know that in Chile people would give me a genuinely confused look when I told them I was atheist ("You mean agnostic? Right? Atheist means you don't believe in God") because they couldn't understand how a good person could not believe in God. Similarly, I got a very disappointed look from a good Chilean friend of mine when I said I was pro-choice.

Here in Australia, the latin@ population is not nearly as large as in the US, but they do tend to be more liberal, particularly with the second generation. I'm not sure, though, if this might be because of the influx of latin@ immigrants into Australia after the dictatorships and economic problems of Peru, Chile, and Argentina.

Nevertheless, it's difficult to see how this problem can be solved other than just assisting in changing attitudes generally. I agree though that some way to control your own abortion would greatly decrease the amount of public interference in women's reproductive health. It's a private matter, it's our own body. But walk into an abortion clinic and suddenly it's everyone's problem.

Hey, this is my neighborhood they're writing about! Residents are likely to be heavily Catholic(it's not uncommon to see people cross themselves simply when walking by a church's door, not even going in) and likely lower middle class to below poverty line. Much to my abuela's chagrin we've abandoned our Catholicism, but I can understand how the strength of it in the culture can make one feel "bad" for even entering an abortion clinic and wonder if this way feels more "removed" for some of these women? They don't even call it "abortion".

I understand why some people say it's exciting that the women can do this themselves, but I still see it as kind of alarming--they're taking pills meant for something else, taking more of them than the recommended dosage, and the risks are high. I wish there were a way that safer clinic visits weren't so financially and culturally prohibitive.

I wish that article had mentioned the National Network of Abortion Funds. I donate money every year precisely to help women avoid these terrible situations. It's got a Spanish-speakers website. Everyone please send $5 to your local NNAF, nnaf.org

I am latina and a NYer and I am very well aware of this. Some I know personally and I agree its not a revolution its just some sad sad times.

FYI, just to clarify about the "Medicaid funds can't be used for abortion". This is not true in all states. For instance, in New York, Medicaid will pay for abortions. And, all poor pregnant women get medicaid. I work at the main hospital in the neighborhood they are writing about here, and our protocol for pregnancy it this: send them to the family planning/free clinic. They get their positive pregnancy test. They meet with the admin people who get their paperwork started. If it is an unwanted pregnancy, they get a list of abortion providers in the city with phone numbers (including our clinic). Once they have the pregnancy medicaid letter they can go to any clinic and have the abortion covered by the medicaid they get for being pregnant. The abortions cannot be performed in the same clinic where we do free contraception/testing etc, because that is a federally funded clinic that cannot provide abortions - so the procedures are done, by the same docs and NPs, just around the corner in a different building a couple days a week, and paid for by state medicaid funds. A couple other states have the same protocols.

Important, because no one should assume they have to pay for an abortion out of pocket; find out if where you are, you qualify for medicaid, and if your state pays for it.

FYI, just to clarify about the "Medicaid funds can't be used for abortion". This is not true in all states. For instance, in New York, Medicaid will pay for abortions. And, all poor pregnant women get medicaid. I work at the main hospital in the neighborhood they are writing about here, and our protocol for pregnancy it this: send them to the family planning/free clinic. They get their positive pregnancy test. They meet with the admin people who get their paperwork started. If it is an unwanted pregnancy, they get a list of abortion providers in the city with phone numbers (including our clinic). Once they have the pregnancy medicaid letter they can go to any clinic and have the abortion covered by the medicaid they get for being pregnant. The abortions cannot be performed in the same clinic where we do free contraception/testing etc, because that is a federally funded clinic that cannot provide abortions - so the procedures are done, by the same docs and NPs, just around the corner in a different building a couple days a week, and paid for by state medicaid funds. A couple other states have the same protocols.

Important, because no one should assume they have to pay for an abortion out of pocket; find out if where you are, you qualify for medicaid, and if your state pays for it.

This is not a revolution. I am Latin American and women have always managed to have abortions. But when we go to the doctor we call it removing the appendix, or take a large dosis of birth control pills, or even drink a lot of vitamin C.

But people don't admit it in public and there's a bunch of idiotic ideas swimming in people's head which lads to a lot of bullcrap. Since no one teaches you that you have a right to demand that Johnny wear a condom or (gasp!) carry the condoms yourself you end up with more stuff than just an unintended pregnancy.

No, this is not revolutionary. It's the same stuff we've been doing for years and years and I wish it would just stop.

Mexico now allows abortions in Mexico City and you should have seen the people protesting that. But Mexico is actually ahead of other countries. Nicaragua in November of 2006 banned abortion in all cases. You can raped in Nicaragua and you still wouldn't be able to have an abortion.

The New York Times' piece about use of misoprostol among Latinas in the US/NYC to induce abortion left out some important information, got important facts wrong, and probably shouldn't have been written in the first place as a news story, because the Times misinterpreted the big new study on the subject that's about to come out but hasn't yet. For the details, see here:

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/01/12/side-effects-complications-the-new-york-times-diy-abortions

Abortion is one of the popular ways of women to lessen their population in the family. This is an evil thing that they need to think of before they will engage in this seriouthing. Your credit rating is one of the most important things, as dumb as it seems. It pays to keep it in the 700 ranges, and it will pay off the sooner you get it heading in that direction. Every now and again, everyone encounters a financial crisis and is in need of emergency funds. In that situation, don't panic. Instead, consider your options, like short term loans. Using short term loans instead of the cards could be a real life saver.