The Food and Drug Administration approved Thursday the use of a controversial pill that women can use within two to seven weeks to terminate a pregnancy. Mifepristone, which will be marketed as Miseprex, isn’t like taking an aspirin. Taking the pill can be painful, and may have serious side effects. While people shouldn’t take a casual attitude toward the serious consequences of sex or abortion, the tablet is a viable option for women who are making a difficult decision. Few pregnant women take life-changing choices such as childbirth, abortion or adoption lightly. However, if Miseprex gives women a safe alternative to a surgical procedure, by all means it should be available to them. Just because this abortion pill is available doesn’t mean women should be lax with their sexual health. Miseprex shouldn’t be used as birth control – it will take its toll on women’s bodies, and the effects are similar to a miscarriage. Preventive measures such as birth control pills and condoms always should be used, but Miseprex is there for when these methods fail. Mistakes do happen, and Miseprex can be a more private, less traumatic method for women in dealing with their pregnancies. Especially for victims of rape and incest, the pill can be a less intrusive means to abort a fetus than by having a surgical procedure. Although Miseprex has a small amount of side effects, the FDA has approved its safety, and the drug has been used by millions of women for more than a decade in Europe. There are no easy answers, but abortion is legal; Miseprex lets women choose how they want to have an abortion. Editorial Board: Carrie Tett, Greg Jerrett, Katie Goldsmith, Amie Van Overmeer, Andrea Hauser and Jocelyn Marcus