Health: Abortions Without Doctors

The Supreme Court decision to throw the abortion issue back to the states has thrown pro-choice supporters into turmoil. If, as many fear, abortion becomes tightly restricted or banned, what are women to do about unwanted pregnancies? Some feminists are proposing a radical remedy: women should master abortion techniques and perform the procedure for one another.

That idea is being widely discussed by women's groups and has already drawn sharp criticism not only from right-tolifers but from medical authorities and some pro-choice supporters. Promoters of self-help abortions are looking at several methods, including RU 486, the controversial French pill not yet...