FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 9, 2022
Contact: Mallory Carroll, [email protected]
SBA List Urges Swift Passage of Women’s Health and Safety Act
Washington, D.C. – Today the Georgia Senate’s Health and Human Services Committee approved the Women’s Health and Safety Act (S.B. 456), which contains some of the nation’s strongest safeguards against dangerous chemical abortion drugs, setting the stage for a vote by the full Senate. The bill prohibits abortion pills from being dispensed via telemedicine or mail and requires an in-person examination by a qualified physician. The bill was introduced by Sen. Bruce Thompson and has 31 co-sponsors.
Last December the Biden administration moved to weaken longstanding federal safety regulations against mail-order abortion drugs, a policy that 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, he oversaw the limiting of reporting requirements for complications after chemical abortion – obscuring the real dangers of abortion drugs despite evidence they are unsafe.
SBA List Southern Regional Director Caitlin Connors praised the bill, saying:
“We are pleased to see this vital bill advance one step closer to becoming law. Chemical abortion drugs are dangerous to both unborn children and their mothers, sending women to the emergency room at a rate that has skyrocketed more than 500% since the early 2000s. While the Biden administration pushes to turn every post office and pharmacy into an abortion center without heed for the risks, Georgia lawmakers are standing strong for women and children. We thank Sen. Bruce Thompson, along with Senate President Pro Tempore Butch Miller and Sens. Jeff Mullis, Larry Walker and Steve Gooch for stepping up to fight this urgent public health threat. We look forward to seeing the Women’s Health and Safety Act swiftly passed by the legislature and signed by Gov. Kemp.”
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. By analyzing 423,000 confirmed abortions, CLI scholars also found that the rate of chemical abortion-related ER visits is growing much faster than surgical abortion-related ER visits, and chemical abortion makes subsequent abortions more dangerous.
Dr. Donna Harrison, who serves as CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG) and an associate scholar with Charlotte Lozier Institute, submitted testimony on the bill in which she stated:
“Failure to perform an in-person examination can have serious consequences for the patient, including death. For example, if a woman who has an ectopic pregnancy (i.e., a pregnancy implanted in the Fallopian tube) is given mifepristone, she is in significant danger of the ectopic pregnancy rupturing, which will cause massive internal bleeding. The symptoms of a rupturing ectopic pregnancy are identical to the symptoms that a woman experiences when she has a mifepristone abortion: bleeding, cramping and severe abdominal pain. Delay in diagnosis due to thinking that these symptoms are a ‘normal’ part of mifepristone abortion can result in massive intraabdominal hemorrhage and death…the requirements of Senate Bill 456 are medically reasonable to ensure the safety of women in Georgia who are undergoing a Mifeprex abortion.”
Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Texas have enacted state-level safeguards against mail-order abortion drugs. Several additional states are considering legislation to be introduced during the 2022 session.
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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