{"id":311199,"date":"2024-04-30T08:46:12","date_gmt":"2024-04-30T13:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=311199"},"modified":"2024-09-20T12:35:57","modified_gmt":"2024-09-20T17:35:57","slug":"congressman-fda-abortion-pills-mail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/congressman-fda-abortion-pills-mail\/","title":{"rendered":"Pro-abortion Congressman falsely claims FDA never warned against buying abortion pills by mail"},"content":{"rendered":"
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New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer has falsely claimed that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has “never issued a warning” against buying abortion pills online, which often occurs through the mail.<\/p>\n

The pro-abortion activist lawmaker made the claim during a press conference outside a pro-life pregnancy resource center, where he besmirched the center’s credibility while unveiling plans to further target these life-saving centers as “deceptive.”<\/p>\n

The press conference<\/a> held on April 22, 2024, which aired live on the congressman’s Facebook page<\/a>, took place outside one of the offices of the First Choice Pregnancy Center where the pro-abortion representative described the center’s business model as “deceptive and manipulative,” claiming they pose a “serious risk” to women’s “health care.”<\/p>\n

The pro-life center clearly states online<\/a> that “First Choice Women’s Resource Centers is an abortion clinic alternative that does not perform or refer for termination services” \u2014 something the United States congressman, who has been endorsed<\/a> by Planned Parenthood Action Fund \u2014 even pointed out.<\/p>\n

During the press conference, Gottheimer was critical of pro-life legislation which shutters profitable abortion businesses. Gottheimer then expressed fear that pro-life pregnancy help centers could become the only “clinics” available in the future. These centers, which operate for the most part thanks to local community donations, offer hope and free help to women who choose life-affirming alternatives instead of abortion \u2014 but many also offer resources for women who have chosen abortion, such as post-abortion counseling.<\/p>\n

FACT CHECK: FDA H<\/em>as<\/em> Issued Warnings Against Online Purchases of Abortion Pills\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Standing proudly at a podium outside the pro-life pregnancy center, Gottheimer claimed that “Some of the information on [the pregnancy center’s] website is beyond misleading.”<\/p>\n

He continued, “On one page<\/a> they [First Choice Women’s Resource Centers] write, ‘Due to lack of regulations and unsafe medications, the FDA also issued a warning not to order pills by mail<\/a>‘ \u2014 that’s completely wrong and made up,” Gottheimer claimed, adding, “The FDA has never issued that warning about mifepristone.”<\/p>\n

Not so fast.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The FDA indeed has<\/strong> issued such a warning:<\/p>\n

\"Image:

FDA warns consumers to not buy abortion pills over the internet (Image: FDA)<\/p><\/div>\n

In addition, an\u00a0FDA page<\/a>\u00a0updated 3\/3\/23 entitled, “Information about Mifepristone for Medical Termination of Pregnancy Through Ten Weeks Gestation” states boldly [see image below] that the\u00a0“FDA Does Not Recommend Buying Mifepristone Online.”<\/p>\n

Clearly\u00a0when you order online, you would be including the possibility that the pills will be sent through the mail.<\/p>\n

The FDA warns against “purchasing mifepristone outside of the Mifepristone REMS Program \u2013 e.g. buying it online or personally transporting it from a foreign country,” which the FDA warns “would be bypassing important safeguards specifically designed to protect their health.”<\/p>\n

Abortion supporters in the United States are\u00a0currently trafficking<\/a>\u00a0in\u00a0abortion pills<\/a>\u00a0from\u00a0outside the United States<\/a>,\u00a0shipping\u00a0potentially dangerous<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0unregulated drugs<\/a>\u00a0to unsuspecting\u00a0women.<\/p>\n

“The FDA does not have regulatory oversight of prescription medicines from outside the legitimate U.S. drug supply chain; therefore, the FDA cannot ensure the safety, effectiveness, or quality of those medications,” the FDA warning also reads.<\/p>\n

\"FDA

FDA website warns against purchasing abortion pills online by foreign entities<\/p><\/div>\n

It would appear that the Planned Parenthood endorsed congressman was in such a hurry to declare “deception” against the PRC that he failed to do the due diligence of investigating his own claims.<\/p>\n

FirstChoice’s website reads:<\/p>\n

Abortion Pills By Mail<\/em><\/p>\n

The abortion pill comes with a black box label, which is the highest level of caution assigned by the FDA. Taking the abortion pill without seeing a doctor or having an ultrasound is never recommended. The side effects range from unpleasant (cramping, bleeding, nausea, headache, fever) to life-threatening (sepsis, rupturing of the uterus, undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy, and more). Due to lack of regulations and unsafe medications,\u00a0the FDA also issued a warning not to order pills by mail<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s important to note that the link<\/a> used by First Choice takes readers to a “Mifepristone information” page on the FDA’s website, which no longer shows<\/em> the previously posted warning. But that FDA page was recently updated and the warning<\/em> the pro-life center was referring to was removed<\/em> once the Biden FDA expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone via mail-order and now pharmacy dispensing.<\/p>\n

So, instead of acknowledging what appears to be a simple oversight (a failure to note the FDA’s very recent removal of the warning), Gottheimer has accused the pregnancy center of deliberate deception.<\/p>\n

\"FirstChoice

FirstChoice Women’s Resource Center NJ website accessed 04\/26\/24<\/p><\/div>\n

Important to note:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • The URL was previously https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers\/mifeprex-mifepristone-information<\/em><\/li>\n
  • The FDA’s current URL is: https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers\/information-about-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    As you can see in the image below, WayBackMachine is now redirecting that old URL to the current one, which is where the congressman was directed.<\/p>\n

    \"WBM

    WBM redirect of the FDA page in question<\/p><\/div>\n

    FDA Warning Clearly on Archived Page<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Live Action News has previously captured that FDA warning several times (here<\/a> and here<\/a>). Had Congressman Josh Gottheimer investigated this properly, he would have discovered that the FDA’s warning can be found in an archived FDA website here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Live Action News has uploaded an image of that FDA page and warning below:<\/p>\n

    \"FDA<\/p>\n

    To recap, the FDA has<\/strong> previously warned the public not to order abortion pills on the internet, which includes obtaining the pills through the mail.<\/p>\n

    The FDA’s archived warning<\/a> reads:<\/p>\n

    You should not buy Mifeprex over the Internet because you will bypass important safeguards designed to protect your health (and the health of others). Mifeprex has special safety restrictions on how it is distributed to the public. Also, drugs purchased from foreign Internet sources are not the FDA-approved versions of the drugs, and they are not subject to FDA-regulated manufacturing controls or FDA inspection of manufacturing facilities. To learn more about buying drugs safely, please see Buying Prescription Medicines Online: A Consumer Safety Guide [PDF]<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

    In addition, the FDA’s brochure<\/a>, linked in the archived warning, also noted:<\/p>\n

    Some medicines sold online:<\/em>
    \n\u2022 are fake (counterfeit or \u201ccopycat\u201d medicines)<\/em>
    \n\u2022 are too strong or too weak<\/em>
    \n\u2022 have dangerous ingredients<\/em>
    \n\u2022 have expired (are out-of-date)<\/em>
    \n\u2022 aren\u2019t FDA-approved (haven\u2019t been checked<\/em>
    \nfor safety and effectiveness)<\/em>
    \n\u2022aren\u2019t made using safe standards<\/em>
    \n\u2022 aren\u2019t safe to use with other medicine or products you use<\/em>
    \n\u2022 aren\u2019t labeled, stored, or shipped correctly<\/em><\/p>\n

    \"FDA

    FDA Website brochure warns about buying prescription medicine on internet<\/p><\/div>\n

    In March of 2019<\/a>, the FDA even sent a cease and desist letter<\/a> to the online abortion pill group Aid Access, which at the time was claiming, “Aid Access supports women who are not able to access local services… The abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol will be delivered to you by mail.”<\/p>\n

    In May 2019, Live Action News even contacted the FDA for a statement, and received the answer by email that the FDA “remain[ed] very concerned about the sale of unapproved mifepristone for medical termination of early pregnancy on the Internet<\/strong>, because this bypasses important safeguards designed to protect women\u2019s health. Unapproved drugs purchased from foreign internet sources are not the FDA-approved versions of the drugs, and therefore, they are not subject to FDA-regulated manufacturing controls or FDA inspection of manufacturing facilities. Drugs that have circumvented regulatory safeguards may be contaminated, counterfeit, contain varying amounts of active ingredients, or contain different ingredients altogether.”<\/p>\n

    Since then, some virtual abortion pill dispensaries (which includes foreign entities not regulated by any U.S. agency) started selling abortion pills to women who were not even pregnant<\/em>.<\/p>\n

    In response, in 2022, Politico<\/a>\u00a0reported a stern warning from the FDA about the dangers of prescribing the drug to women who are not pregnant, writing, \u201cThe FDA said health providers prescribing abortion medication to people who\u00a0aren\u2019t pregnant<\/a>\u00a0are acting without its authorization and that the practice is potentially dangerous for patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Gottheimer Sponsors Anti-PRC Legislation<\/strong><\/h3>\n

    Just weeks ago, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, who has besmirched<\/a> pro-life lawmakers as “ultra-right extremists” who are “declaring a war on women’s healthcare,” stood with Planned Parenthood promoting what he called the “Protecting Personal, Private Medical Decisions Act.”<\/p>\n

    According to his release<\/a>, that act “affirms the Department of Justice\u2019s memo explaining that the Comstock Act does not prohibit the lawful mailing of abortion drugs like Mifepristone and condemns restrictions on reproductive healthcare.”<\/p>\n

    \n
    \n

    First, my bill affirms the @TheJusticeDept<\/a>\u2019s memo explaining that the Comstock Act does not prohibit the lawful mailing of abortion drugs.<\/p>\n

    Second, it strongly condemns restrictions on reproductive healthcare like abortion bans and bans on the shipment of abortion medication.<\/p>\n

    — Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG) April 9, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n