{"id":239019,"date":"2021-02-05T15:37:17","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T21:37:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=239019"},"modified":"2021-07-01T16:57:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-01T21:57:41","slug":"study-abortion-pill-complications-underreported-er-managing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/study-abortion-pill-complications-underreported-er-managing\/","title":{"rendered":"Study suggests abortion pill complications are underreported, and ERs are managing the majority"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Abortion pill clients experiencing a complication are more likely to receive care from an emergency center than the abortion facility where they obtained the pills, according to an analysis of adverse events\u00a0reports<\/a>\u00a0(AERs) submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) by abortion pill<\/a>\u00a0manufacturer\u00a0Danco.<\/p>\n

A team of over 30 board certified physicians spent three years reviewing thousands of pages of AERs and discovered glaring deficiencies in reporting on abortion pill complications and deaths. They also found that more than 60% of the surgeries due to abortion pill complications were not<\/em> handled by the abortion facility, increasing the potential for large amounts of underreported complications.<\/p>\n

Published<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Issues in Law & Medicine, \u201cDeaths and Severe Adverse Events after the use of Mifepristone as an Abortifacient from September 2000 to February 2019<\/a>,\u201d sheds doubt on whether deaths and adverse events are being properly tracked. The authors of the study included researchers from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG).\u00a0\u201c[T]he analysis of the AERs revealed glaring deficiencies\u2026 Throughout the reports, there was also a lack of detail and many patients who were simply \u2018lost to follow-up,’\u201d the authors wrote.<\/p>\n

Due to the\u00a0dangers<\/a>\u00a0posed by the abortion pill, the FDA put in place a safety system called REMS.\u00a0While anyone can submit an AER, the FDA currently\u00a0requires<\/a>\u00a0AERs on the abortion pill (Mifeprex or mifepristone) to be submitted by Danco Laboratories, Inc. or by the abortion pill’s generic manufacturer, GenBioPro.<\/p>\n

More ERs are treating complications than abortionists, which means\u00a0complications may go unreported<\/strong><\/p>\n

The study found a greater percentage of emergency rooms were treating abortion pill complications than abortion facilities. And, since abortion pill complications are only reported to FDA once the prescriber (abortion facility) or Danco becomes aware, it is likely many complications are falling through the cracks unreported.\u00a0Interestingly, Live Action News has documented how the abortion industry has advised women<\/a> to present to ERs claiming miscarriage<\/em> if they experience abortion pill complications.<\/p>\n

Equally as troubling is that there is no federal mandate<\/a> to report abortion-related complications<\/em> across all 50 states.<\/p>\n

AAPLOG\u2019s executive director Dr. Donna Harrison and her team found that\u00a0less than half of the women who experienced a complication received follow-up care from their abortion providers. Dr. Harrison said the AER reports indicated that \u201c[m]ost of the time the women had to resort to the ER to get their care. And often it was after multiple visits to the abortion clinic.”<\/p>\n

Reports suggested abortionists were often unaware<\/em> of complications unless women returned to the abortion facility. As such, they would be unlikely to file reports in those instances.<\/p>\n