{"id":259326,"date":"2021-12-29T08:46:59","date_gmt":"2021-12-29T14:46:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=259326"},"modified":"2022-01-11T18:25:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T00:25:02","slug":"fda-studies-approve-mail-order-abortion-pill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/fda-studies-approve-mail-order-abortion-pill\/","title":{"rendered":"What studies did the FDA use to approve the mail-order abortion pill? Here are four possibilities."},"content":{"rendered":"
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)\u00a0has held in\u00a0secrecy<\/a>\u00a0its process for originally approving the abortion pill two decades ago, and has likewise failed to show transparency in its recent decision to eliminate the in-person requirement<\/a>\u00a0for dispensing<\/a> the abortion pill.<\/p>\n

It is unknown what research the FDA relied on to arrive at its decision, but it is possible \u2014 even likely \u2014 that some of that research was authored by those on the payroll<\/a> of the abortion pill’s manufacturer, Danco.<\/p>\n

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Questions for FDA on abortion pill by mail expansion (Image: Carole Novielli on Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Studies<\/a>\u00a0from less questionable authors showed that the abortion pill has potential risks<\/a>, with some research\u00a0indicating<\/a> that a number of women and teens are visiting emergency departments with abortion pill complications.<\/p>\n

Just before the FDA’s review of the abortion pill’s safety requirements (REMS) was completed, the pro-abortion organization Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH<\/a>)\u00a0summarized<\/a>\u00a0“published results of U.S. studies of medication abortion that did not involve a clinician dispensing mifepristone in a clinic, medical office, or hospital.” According to ANSIRH<\/a>, just “[f]our publications met our inclusion criteria.” Read more here<\/a> and here<\/a> about who ANSIRH is, what they do<\/a>\u00a0in their training of abortionists, and who funds<\/a> them (including abortion pill manufacturer Danco).<\/p>\n

Study #1: Expansion of a direct-to-patient telemedicine abortion service in the United States and experience during the<\/strong>\u00a0COVID-19 pandemic\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

This study<\/a>\u00a0included participants as\u00a0young<\/a>\u00a0as 10 years old and was\u00a0published<\/a>\u00a0in the journal Contraception, which was\u00a0founded<\/a>\u00a0with a \u201cgenerous contribution\u201d from the Packard and Buffett Foundations, who are Danco investors.<\/p>\n

The study was conducted between\u00a0May 2016 and September 2020 at \u201c10 institutions<\/a>\u00a0(4 independent clinics, 4 Planned Parenthood affiliates, and 2 academic medical centers)\u201d in 13 states and Washington, D.C. and was financed<\/a> by the Tara Health Foundation<\/a>, the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust<\/a>, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund<\/a>, and \u201cseveral anonymous donors.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contraception \u2014 unlike more reputable publications \u2014 allows \u201canonymous donors<\/a>\u201d to fund abortion studies, leaving some to suspect potential conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n

Authors included Beverly Winikoff,\u00a0founder and President of\u00a0Gynuity Health Projects<\/a> (GHP), which is heavily funded<\/a> by investors of Danco. Winikoff<\/a>\u00a0has served on the\u00a0board<\/a>\u00a0of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), which was at one time directly\u00a0funded<\/a>\u00a0by Danco, as well as the\u00a0Buffett<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Packard<\/a>\u00a0Foundations. Winikoff has\u00a0credited<\/a> the 9\/11 terrorist attacks with saving the abortion pill by drowning out the news of a woman\u2019s abortion pill death.<\/p>\n

When\u00a0Gynuity\u00a0conducted<\/a>\u00a0abortion pill trials, the company\u00a0received<\/a>\u00a0financial support from\u00a0Ibis Reproductive Health, which was directly\u00a0funded<\/a>\u00a0by Danco for years<\/a>.\u00a0After Live Action News exposed this financial conflict of interest,\u00a0the\u00a0funding connections<\/a>\u00a0were suddenly scrubbed\u00a0from the Ibis website. Ibis is also currently\u00a0funded<\/a>\u00a0by the\u00a0Packard Foundation and was previously\u00a0funded<\/a>\u00a0by the Population Council and Gynuity.<\/p>\n

Authors Erica Chong,\u00a0<\/i>Tara Shochet, Elizabeth Raymond, Ingrida Platais, and Holly A. Anger are associated with Gynuity, and authors Kristina Tocce,\u00a0Christy M. Boraas,\u00a0Paula H. Bednarek, and Joey Banks are\u00a0associated with Planned Parenthood. Other authors were associated with the abortion facilities Maine Family Planning, the Emma Goldman Clinic, and Choices Women\u2019s Medical Center.<\/p>\n

Author\u00a0Melissa S. Grant and Susan Haskell are both associated with Carafem, which appears to be an affiliate of\u00a0DKT International<\/a>,\u00a0an international organization which distributes the abortion pill worldwide.\u00a0Carafem and DKT International have deep connections to some of the richest\u00a0billionaire<\/a>\u00a0abortion philanthropists in the world, like the Gates<\/a>, Packard, and Hewlett Foundations. Read more here<\/a> about DKT, which\u00a0was\u00a0founded<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0porn tycoon<\/a>\u00a0Philip Harvey.<\/p>\n