FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 27, 2022
Contact: Mallory Carroll, [email protected]
Planned Parenthood & Their Court Allies Ignore Real-World Data on Serious Risks of Abortion Drugs
Washington, D.C. – As litigation proceeds, a federal judge has sided with Planned Parenthood in its bid to block a South Dakota rule that would stop the distribution of dangerous chemical abortion drugs through telemedicine in the state. An initiative of Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Legislature’s Interim Rules Review Committee, the rule sets the following restrictions:
- Declares abortion drugs may only be used when prescribed or dispensed in person with physician oversight.
- Blocks distribution of chemical abortion drugs via telemedicine.
- Ensures that informed consent laws are properly administered, including that it may be possible for a woman to reverse the effects of the procedure if she changes her mind.
- Increases reporting requirements regarding chemical abortion rates and dangerous complications.
The national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) slammed the judge’s order, saying:
“The abortion lobby and the courts that impose their agenda could not be more callous. In siding with Planned Parenthood, the court ignores a serious threat to women’s health and safety and the lives of their unborn children, as well as the abortion industry’s profit motive,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser. “Real-world data shows chemical abortion is sending women to emergency rooms at an increasingly alarming rate – more than 20 women have even died. Moreover, a majority of emergency room visits related to the abortion pill are being miscoded as miscarriage. The Biden administration is making it easier for abusers to gain access to these dangerous drugs by mail, yet incredibly, the court joins abortion activists who want the true risks covered up.
“We thank Gov. Noem and pro-life South Dakotans for standing with women and children. We support their fight against this reckless lawsuit and hope the Supreme Court will soon unshackle the people and their representatives in every state to enact pro-life laws.”
Last year the Biden administration moved to weaken longstanding federal safeguards for patients against mail-order abortion drugs designed to protect women from serious health risks and potential abuse. The Biden administration policy allows for dangerous at-home, do-it-yourself abortions without necessary medical oversight. Biden has also nominated former FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to resume the role he held under Barack Obama. During his tenure, Califf oversaw the weakening of reporting requirements for complications after chemical abortion – obscuring the real dangers of abortion drugs despite evidence they are unsafe.
A recent, first-of-its-kind study authored by Dr. James Studnicki and a team of experts at the Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) found that chemical abortion is a major public health threat. The study found that the rate of abortion-related emergency room visits following a chemical abortion increased by more than 500% from 2002 through 2015.
SBA List is a network of 900,000 pro-life Americans nationwide, dedicated to ending abortion by electing national leaders and advocating for laws that save lives, with a special calling to promote pro-life women leaders.
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