The pill

Now that the abortion issue is once again in the headlines it should be noted that the problem may be self correcting to a certain degree. The number of legal abortions has been declining for many years and the rate accelerated since the wide use of the morning after pill, which by the way can be taken the day before. It can prevent a pregnancy in three ways. First it can temporarily stop ovulation, second it can prevent fertilization and finally prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus. It is only the third way that takes place after conception. This pill can be purchased over the counter but some states asked that women under a certain age have a prescription. The cost can be up to $50 but most states have programs where the pill is free. These pills can be purchased in advance and stored in the medicine cabinet or carried on the person. One rather dismaying statistic is that abortion rates decline when the nearest clinic is more than 100 miles away. Some feel that for a decision that is this important this is a trivial reason for having or not having an abortion.