FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 7, 2022
Contact: Nicole Stacy, [email protected]
Biden Admin Ignores Data on Chemical Abortion’s Health & Safety Risks
Washington, D.C. – Today the national pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List) praised South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem and the South Dakota Legislature’s Interim Rules Review Committee for taking action to block the distribution of dangerous chemical abortion drugs through telemedicine in the state. The order, the strongest in the nation, sets the following restrictions on chemical abortion drugs:
- 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.
Last month the Biden administration moved to weaken longstanding federal safety regulations 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, he oversaw the limiting of reporting requirements for complications after chemical abortion – obscuring the real dangers of abortion drugs despite evidence they are unsafe.
Governor Noem stated:
“I look forward to the day when the life of every unborn child is protected in South Dakota. Until then, South Dakotans will know that if a mother uses abortion pills to end her unborn child’s life, she will not get those pills from a stranger over the internet.”
SBA List State Policy Director Sue Liebel added:
“We are so grateful for Governor Noem’s strong pro-life, pro-woman leadership. The Biden administration is ignoring the science on the serious risks of chemical abortion, putting the lives of both unborn children and their mothers in grave danger to boost the abortion industry’s bottom line. Chemical abortion has a fourfold higher rate of complications compared to surgical abortion. Now more than ever, it is urgent for state leaders to fight the threat of mail-order abortion drugs. We thank Gov. Noem for her bold leadership and anticipate more states will take action this year.”
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.
Noem has previously signed into law measures that ensure babies born alive after failed abortions receive medical care and that stop lethal discrimination abortions based on a Down syndrome diagnosis.
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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