New FDA Regulations Allow Abortion Pill to be Sold in Retail Pharmacies
Photo: Robin Marty
Last Tuesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced a regulatory change allowing pharmacies to distribute mifepristone, a drug used for chemical abortions. Prior to this new regulation, medical professionals had to distribute the medication directly to the patient.
“Mifepristone is one of two medications taken during a medication abortion. Approved in 2000, this drug is meant to begin pregnancy termination within the first 70 days of gestation. The medication is delivered as a 200mg oral pill. Within two days of the initial dose, patients will also be directed to take an 800 mcg oral misoprostol tablet.”
PharmaNews Intelligence
Under the new regulator, providers who become certified under the Mifepristone REMS Program, by completing the Prescriber Agreement Form, will be able to prescribe mifepristone to consumers in-person or via telehealth consultations.
The “abortion pill” will be available to those with a prescription at any certified pharmacy, or the pill can be mailed directly to their doorstep.
Planned Parenthood responded to the announcement by stating, “Eliminating unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion is critical for improving access.”
“For the first time since its FDA approval in 2000, mifepristone can be delivered directly to a patient’s door by shipping services through a certified pharmacy. Under these new regulations, pharmacies take on the responsibility of ensuring that medication is dispensed promptly.”
PharmaNews Intelligence
A medical abortion is not without risk, known side effects, as explained by Mayo Clinic, include chest pain, confusion, cough or hoarseness, fast, weak pulse, fever or chills, painful or difficult urination, sudden increase in stomach or shoulder pain, unusual or large amount of vaginal bleeding, and the list goes on.
Despite the innumerable side effects, some tolerable, others life-threatening, Plan C, a medical abortion pill provider, still claims that abortion is “safer than continuing a pregnancy and having a baby.” In fact, the abortion bill is often said to only cause a “very heavy period.”
“PlanC’s founders Francine Coeytaux and Victoria Nichols have promoted use of the drug misoprostol alone for abortion, something not approved by the FDA. PlanC even admits, ‘The pills are less effective when only misoprostol is used or when the pills are taken later in pregnancy.'”
Live Action
When explaining the safety and effectiveness of the abortion pill, Plan C explains that the medication “may not work” but fails to go into detail on the specifics of what this means for the female involved.
“According to Planned Parenthood’s own published statistics, the failure rate for the abortion pill at nine weeks is seven percent (7%), at 10 weeks – nine percent (9%), and at 11 weeks it jumps to 13 percent.”
“If the abortion pill fails, it can either mean that the baby is still alive, or it could mean that the baby’s remains are still in the woman’s uterus and could cause an infection. In the latter case, more pills or a follow-up surgical abortion may be required to prevent infection.”
Live Action
Abortion advocates tout the new FDA regulation as a “win” for “fair and equitable” healthcare and “women’s rights,” while refusing to acknowledge the dangers associated with abortion pills being prescribed by the thousands via the internet.
According to statistics provided by Live Action, Planned Parenthood, and the Guttmacher Institute, the chemical abortions potentially failed anywhere between 7,000 to 24,000 times in 2017. In nearly every instance of failure, either the child or the female is harmed during the process.
Making the abortion pill more accessible is not the win for women that the left is branding it as.
Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June of 2022, states have had the ability to create their own laws pertaining to abortion, including ban it outright. The pill will not be available in the 12 states where abortion has been made illegal, and 18 states will still require a physician to be physically present to prescribe them to patients, rather than operating off of the honor code.
“The Biden Administration has once again proved that it values abortion industry profits over women’s safety and unborn children’s lives . . . even while studies show emergency rooms are being flooded with women suffering from serious, life-threatening complications caused by abortion drugs,”
“Chemical abortion pills can cause dangerous complications including hemorrhage and infection, and complications are more likely when pills are dispensed without medical screening or follow-up care.”
SBA Pro-Life America statement
