{"id":335837,"date":"2025-08-12T08:41:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-12T13:41:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=335837"},"modified":"2025-08-11T16:15:32","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T21:15:32","slug":"actress-claims-abortion-pregnant-accutane","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/actress-claims-abortion-pregnant-accutane\/","title":{"rendered":"Actress Danielle Brooks said she was required to abort because of Accutane. Is this true?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Actress Danielle Brooks has publicly claimed<\/a> that she was required to agree to have an abortion if she were to become pregnant while taking the acne medication Accutane.<\/p>\n

However, the evidence seems to show that women taking Accutane are not<\/em> required to agree to have abortions.<\/p>\n

Key Takeaways:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  • Accutane, also referred to by its generic name isotretinoin, is an oral medication used to treat cystic acne; however, it carries serious risks, especially to preborn babies who are at risk of life-threatening birth defects.<\/li>\n
  • Women who take Accutane must sign the iPLEDGE\u00ae REMS, a computer-based risk management system that uses traceable links between prescriber, pharmacy, and wholesaler to control the prescribing, use, dispensing, and distribution of the drug.<\/li>\n
  • Women who take Accutane must have two negative pregnancy tests before beginning the drug, a negative pregnancy test every month they are on the drug, and a negative pregnancy test in the month after stopping. They also must agree to use two approved forms of birth control or abstain from sex while taking Accutane.<\/li>\n
  • Actress Danielle Brooks said she didn’t want to have an abortion when she became pregnant on Accutane, but that she was required to because of the contract she signed under Accutane’s REMS guidelines.<\/li>\n
  • The iPLEDGE\u00ae REMS for Accutane does not<\/strong> contain a requirement that women who become pregnant while taking Accutane must have an abortion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Details:<\/h2>\n

    The Oscar-nominated Brooks, whose acting work includes “Orange is the New Black” and Broadway’s “The Color Purple,” appeared on the Pregnant Pause podcast on July 24, during which she explained that she had an abortion while she was taking Accutane.<\/p>\n

    \u201cI, unfortunately, had a lot of acne. I was doing ‘The Color Purple’ on Broadway, and my face was a mess,\u201d she recalled<\/a>. \u201cI was also doing ‘Orange Is the New Black,’ and there was so much touching on my face, and that caused a lot of acne. I decided to do Accutane, but if you know anything about Accutane, when you are on [the medication], you are not supposed to get pregnant. It\u2019s a requirement. You actually have to sign something saying that you will have an abortion if you get pregnant<\/strong>” (emphasis added).<\/p>\n