{"id":322680,"date":"2024-12-07T08:50:27","date_gmt":"2024-12-07T14:50:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=322680"},"modified":"2024-12-06T00:27:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-06T06:27:26","slug":"planned-parenthood-affiliates-myths-telehealth-abortion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/planned-parenthood-affiliates-myths-telehealth-abortion\/","title":{"rendered":"Planned Parenthood affiliate tries – and fails – to bust ‘myths’ about ‘telehealth abortion’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is pushing telemed abortion<\/a> on its website, claiming that DIY abortions are just as safe as in-person abortion, despite evidence to the contrary. “Using telehealth, you can receive counseling, guidance, and prescriptions for abortion medications without having to visit a health center in person<\/strong>,” the website reads (emphasis added). “Some people might question the safety and reliability of telehealth abortion due to misconceptions about the process, leading to widespread misinformation.”<\/p>\n

Though PPSNE says it is “Mythbusting Telehealth Abortion,” it’s actually doing the opposite with regard to certain claims.<\/p>\n

1. Is telehealth abortion just as safe as “in-person care”?<\/strong><\/p>\n

While PPSNE claims<\/em> that telemed abortion is just as “safe” as “in-person care,” it does not offer any evidence for this.<\/p>\n

“At PPSN, we provide the same high-quality care through telehealth as we do in person,” PPSN states. “With decades of experience as the largest provider of abortion care in Connecticut and Rhode Island, we ensure that your safety is always the top priority.”<\/p>\n

Yet, mifepristone, the first of the two drugs in the abortion pill regimen, comes with serious warnings. Live Action News has previously documented that mifepristone\u2019s 2023 label<\/a> still contains a black box warning for sepsis, bleeding, and other life-threatening risks.<\/p>\n

The abortion pill has been found to be four times more dangerous<\/a> for women than a first-trimester surgical abortion.<\/p>\n

In addition, the FDA insert for the drug indicates<\/a> that 2.9% to 4.6% of women who take the abortion pill are likely to end up in the emergency room. Based on Guttmacher’s most recent statistics, this means that up to 30,000 or more<\/em> women are likely to visit an emergency department every single year<\/em> after taking the abortion pill.<\/p>\n

Alarmingly, for women taking the abortion pill at home, alone, that risk could be even greater. A previously<\/a>-documented\u00a0Gynuity Health Projects (GHP)<\/a> telabortion study found that six percent (6%) of participants faced complications from the abortion pill that required a visit to an ER or urgent care<\/a>. Two similar\u00a0studies<\/a> support<\/a>\u00a0this finding. In\u00a0addition<\/a>, the FDA\u2019s\u00a0medication guide<\/a> admits that up to seven percent (7%) of women who take mifepristone are likely to need a follow-up surgery \u201cto stop bleeding\u201d or to complete a failed chemical (abortion pill) abortion.<\/p>\n

A “no-test<\/a>” protocol often utilized by purveyors of abortion doesn’t even require women to have an ultrasound to accurately determine gestational age, or any other testing to rule out ectopic pregnancy or other risk factors before receiving the abortion pill. This puts women at greater risk; undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy could be fatal for the mother, and a failure to accurately assess gestational age could result in a higher chance of a failed or incomplete abortion<\/a> (a potential infection risk), and more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

2. Is safety really the “top priority” at PPSNE?<\/strong><\/p>\n

PPSNE claims, “With decades of experience as the largest provider of abortion care in Connecticut and Rhode Island, we ensure that your safety is always the top priority.” Yet this affiliate has not proven itself to be safe, as lawsuits filed by former patients have exposed that the quality of care that PPSNE claims to provide is anything but top-notch.<\/p>\n

One lawsuit<\/a> filed against PPSNE, Inc. alleged that a midwife at one of its facilities made such a serious error<\/a> that a 22-week-old preborn baby boy<\/em> died after staff told the pregnant woman that she had miscarried at six weeks \u2014 then gave her the abortion pill.<\/p>\n

Another lawsuit<\/a> against PPSNE alleged that it failed to notice a client was already 14 weeks pregnant<\/em> before staff inserted an IUD; a third lawsuit<\/a> alleges that a PPSNE abortionist left a woman permanently injured during a D&C abortion in which her uterus and bowel were perforated. The patient required an emergency hysterectomy, bowel resection, and removal of an ovary and fallopian tube.<\/p>\n