Alight Care Center is an affiliate of Heartbeat International. This timely article gives you what you need to know on the use of the abortion pill in 2020.
How Chemical Abortion is Changing in 2020: What You Need to Know
by Christa Brown LAS, BSN, RN Director of Medical Impact, Heartbeat International
Chemical abortions are rising at alarming rates.
Growing in popularity and availability, chemical abortions (often referred to as medical abortion or abortion pill) account for more than 40% of all abortions in the U.S. This combination of mifepristone and misoprostol is a deliberate attempt to abort a known pregnancy and is 95-98% effective in ending the life of the preborn child. By 2023, it is predicted that chemical abortion will account for more than half of all abortions in the U.S. Some women prefer chemical abortion to surgical abortion, as it is often promised to be “less invasive,” advertised by abortion providers as “more natural”, and promoted as “an abortion in the privacy of your own home.” However, it is not without physical and emotional risks, and, for many, a lot of regret. [1]
Chemical abortion is not just for abortion clinics anymore.
Even if there is no abortion clinic in your community, chemical abortion is accessible to those seeking it. In 2017, nearly half (47%) were provided at nonspecialized clinics offering a broader range of health care services or at physicians’ offices.
The FDA states that “Mifeprex must be ordered, prescribed and dispensed by or under the supervision of a healthcare provider who prescribes and who meets certain qualifications.” Yet many women worldwide choose to self-administer medication abortion outside of a formal health care setting. [2]
Despite warnings from the FDA that buying Mifeprex over the Internet will bypass important safeguards designed to protect your health, 3
the Charlotte Lozier Institute reports at least 72 unique websites selling abortion medication including thirty abortion websites and forty- two pharmacy websites. [4]
Aid Access (https://aidaccess.org/) reports that they have illegally shipped more than 7,000 abortion pill packages to American women in the last 18 months ignoring the many health risks these drugs have including incomplete abortion, toxicity, hemorrhaging, infection, and scarring. [5]
In addition, there are websites designed to give instruction for self- managed abortion including Women on Web (https://www.womenonweb.org/), Women on Waves (https://www.womenonwaves.org/), Women Help Women (https://womenhelp.org/), and the International Women’s Health Coalition (https://iwhc.org/).
Chemical abortions are four times as risky as surgical abortions.
Although abortion-rights advocates claim that abortions are extremely safe, obstetrician Ingrid Skop, M.D points out that research is heavily biased. A recent article published in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (https://www.jpands.org/vol24no4/skop.pdf) points out the studies that consistently show the rate of complications is four times higher than for a surgical procedure. Skop states serious complications of chemical abortion include “ruptured ectopic pregnancies, hemorrhage, infection, and retained pregnancy tissue, which require surgery in as many as one in twenty women.
[6][7]
It is important that women starting a chemical abortion know the warning signs. During or following a chemical abortion, women should seek immediate medical assistance for any of the following problems:
A fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher Bleeding heavier than a normal menstrual period, soaking pads at a rate of one per hour or more, or passing large clots Severe abdominal or back pain Unusual or foul-smelling vaginal discharge No bleeding within 24 hours after the medical abortion of an early pregnancy
[8]
Cost of chemical abortion varies greatly but insurance and other assistance may be available for those seeking chemical abortion services.
The cost can be significant for chemical abortion, but financial assistance is often available to those that qualify. Planned Parenthood states that the abortion pill can cost up to around $1000, but it is often less. Costs vary according to locations but are usually similar to the cost of surgical abortion : $400-$800. There are also cheaper or donation-based options available through telemedicine services that provide medication abortions. On-line average cost varies from $167-$537.
[9]
Insurance or Medicaid may cover all or a portion of the cost of chemical abortion. Depending on the provider, the cost for a medication abortion can include an ultrasound, lab work, MicRhoGAM (if required), medications required for the procedure, pain medication, a form of contraception, and a follow-up visit. Financial assistance to help cover abortion services may be available to those who qualify through organizations that solicit donations to fund abortion services. Assistance includes cost of abortion services and travel-related expenses.
.[10][11]
Reversal of chemical abortion is a safe and effective choice for women who have taken the first abortion medication and wish to continue their pregnancies.
Women often regret their abortions and often that regret sets in right away. Women deserve to know the truth; they don’t give up that right when they seek an abortion. One of Abortion Pill Rescue Network’s main goals is to help ensure that women have the opportunity to choose life for their child at every step of the way.
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A woman who would like to learn more about reversing the effects of chemical abortion and possibly continuing her pregnancy, should call the Abortion Pill Rescue hotline 877.558.0333 or go to the APR website (https://www.abortionpillreversal.com/) to begin a live chat. Heartbeat International has Medical Professionals waiting to answer her questions, explain reversal, and connect her with an APR Network Provider in her area.
Abortion Pill Reversal is a cutting-edge application of a time-tested, FDA-approved treatment used for decades to prevent miscarriage and preterm birth. It involves emergency, ongoing doses of progesterone to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill. To date, more than 1000 women have successfully stopped their abortions and saved their children through APRN—a hotline and network of over 700 providers and another 200 consulting centers, operated by Heartbeat International, which is the world’s largest affiliation of pregnancy help organizations.
For more information about joining the APRNetwork, contact us at info@apr.life (mailto:info@apr.life). (mailto:info@apr.life.)
[1] The abortion pill. Planned Parenthood web site: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/the-abortion-pill (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/abortion/the-abortion-pill). Published 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
[2] Medication abortion. Guttmacher website: https://www.guttmacher.org/evidence-you-can- use/medication-abortion (https://www.guttmacher.org/evidence-you-can-use/medication-abortion). Published 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[3] Mifeprex information. FDA web site: https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety- information-patients-and-providers/mifeprex-mifepristone-information (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/mifeprex- mifepristone-information). Published February 5, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[4] Fact Sheet: Online Sales of Mifeprex and Misoprostol for Self-Abortion. Charlotte Lozier Institute web site: https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-online-sales-of-mifeprex-and-misoprostol-for- self-abortion/ (https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-online-sales-of-mifeprex-and-misoprostol-for-
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self-abortion/). Printed April 23, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[5] Abortion home remedies: risks and what to know. Medical News Today web site: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327443.php (https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327443.php). Published January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[6] Medical Abortions Four Times as Risky as Surgical, Reports the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. Intrado web site: https://www.globenewswire.com/news- release/2019/12/18/1962412/0/en/Medical-Abortions-Four-Times-as-Risky-as-Surgical-Reports- the-Journal-of-American-Physicians-and-Surgeons.html (https://www.globenewswire.com/news- release/2019/12/18/1962412/0/en/Medical-Abortions-Four-Times-as-Risky-as-Surgical-Reports- the-Journal-of-American-Physicians-and-Surgeons.html). Published December 18, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[7]Contraception. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22898359) 2013 Jan;87(1):26-37. doi: 10.1016/j.contraception.2012.06.011. Epub 2012 Aug 13.
[8] Abortion (termination of pregnancy). Harvard health publishing web site: https://www.health.harvard.edu/medical-tests-and-procedures/abortion-termination-of-pregnancy- a-to-z (https://www.health.harvard.edu/medical-tests-and-procedures/abortion-termination-of- pregnancy-a-to-z). Published January 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[9] Fact Sheet: Online Sales of Mifeprex and Misoprostol for Self-Abortion. Charlotte Lozier Institute web site: https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-online-sales-of-mifeprex-and-misoprostol-for- self-abortion/ (https://lozierinstitute.org/fact-sheet-online-sales-of-mifeprex-and-misoprostol-for- self-abortion/). Printed April 23, 2018. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
[10] NAF hotline fund. National Abortion Federation web site: https://prochoice.org/think-youre- pregnant/naf-hotline/ (https://prochoice.org/think-youre-pregnant/naf-hotline/) Retrieved January 12, 2020.
[11] Financial information. Planned Parenthood web site: https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-illinois/patient-resources/abortion- services/financial-information (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood- illinois/patient-resources/abortion-services/financial-information). Published 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
