{"id":238142,"date":"2021-01-16T11:03:54","date_gmt":"2021-01-16T17:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=238142"},"modified":"2021-04-16T19:55:42","modified_gmt":"2021-04-17T00:55:42","slug":"supreme-court-didnt-restrict-abortion-pill-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/supreme-court-didnt-restrict-abortion-pill-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"The Supreme Court didn’t ‘restrict access’ to the abortion pill. It decided that women’s safety matters."},"content":{"rendered":"
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On January 12, 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States granted a stay<\/a> that will allow a longtime FDA safeguard to remain in place regarding the abortion pill. When it comes to women’s safety, it was the right call, but the pro-abortion website Slate disagrees, claiming\u00a0SCOTUS<\/a> has just acted to “restrict access” to health care. Slate neglected to mention the dangers of the abortion pill, and instead parroted the abortion industry claim that the abortion pill is safer than Tylenol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The FDA imposed a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) on the abortion pill in 2011<\/a>, during the Obama administration. As a result of the REMS, the abortion pill must be dispensed by a certified provider in a clinic, hospital, or medical office. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, abortion industry insiders who had long wished to make money off of at-home abortions<\/a>, saw an opportunity to use the pandemic as an excuse. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on behalf of the pro-abortion American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in May 2020 and Federal U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang ruled<\/a> in favor of the ACLU in July allowing the abortion pill to be taken outside of a medical facility for the duration of the pandemic. But the abortion industry had a bigger goal — to ensure the abortion pill becomes available for DIY at-home abortions permanently. The FDA appealed Chuang’s ruling and the SCOTUS decision means the FDA rule stands.<\/p>\n

False\u00a0<\/strong>claim<\/b>: The abortion pill is safer than Tylenol.<\/strong><\/p>\n

According to Slate, the “court cited volumes of evidence about the safety of medication abortions and the dangers of the pandemic. (For example, a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report<\/a>\u00a0found that the risk associated with taking mifepristone is similar to that of aspirin or ibuprofen.)”<\/p>\n

Truth<\/strong>: The abortion pill carries significant risks to women’s health, but it seems Slate did not speak to any women<\/a> who had suffered from its effects. The abortion pill has been found to be four times more dangerous<\/a><\/em> than a first-trimester surgical abortion and is nowhere near as safe as aspirin or ibuprofen for the average healthy individual. When the UK allowed at-home abortions using the abortion pill after the pandemic began, two women died<\/a> as a result. Thousands of women<\/a> have experienced complications of the abortion pill, according to the FDA, and at least 24 have died<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It is vital that women have an in-person visit to obtain the abortion pill. The pregnancy must be dated accurately because the abortion pill is only FDA-approved up to 10 weeks. As gestational age increases, the abortion pill’s failure rate<\/a> also increases. Prescribing the abortion pill without full knowledge of the woman’s pregnancy is unethical and irresponsible. In addition, a woman should be examined for ectopic pregnancy before taking the abortion pill, or her risk of dying is 30% higher<\/a> than a woman with an ectopic pregnancy who had not<\/em> sought an abortion, according to the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG). Evaluation of Rh status is also essential before taking the abortion pill. If Rhogam is not given, the woman risks losing<\/a> her future preborn children, according to the ACOG.<\/p>\n

But Slate’s main concern seems to be the existence of any type of abortion regulation.<\/p>\n

READ:\u00a0An OB\/GYN speaks: The \u2018no-test\u2019 abortion pill protocol experiments with women\u2019s health<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n