Patrick Hauf – December 16, 2021
The FDA announced Thursday it will no longer require in-person doctor visits for women who want the chemical abortion pill, a move some physicians say will endanger women across the country.
The agency temporarily lifted the requirement in April so doctors could prescribe the pill after a virtual visit. Unlike morning-after pills, which are available over the counter and aim to block fertilization, chemical abortion pills terminate a developing fetus in the uterus. Chemical abortion pills have four times the complication rate as surgical abortions and are more likely to send women to the emergency room. Physicians recommend in-person exams prior to prescribing abortion pills because ultrasounds can help minimize harm to the mother.
“If you can’t tell a woman how far along she is you also can’t tell her what her risks are,” Dr. Donna Harrison, the chief executive officer of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told the Washington Free Beacon. Women often misdate their pregnancies and taking the abortion pill too late could prove deadly. Harrison also noted that virtual visits would make it easier for men to force women to take the abortion pill.
“There is no way to know what abusers, what pimps, what disgruntled boyfriends will do with this drug,” Harrison told the Free Beacon. “It’s bad for women.”
Pro-choice activists are pushing to expand access to chemical abortions as states pass laws restricting surgical abortions. Plan C, a website that details how to illegally purchase chemical abortion pills online, said it has seen a significant increase in web traffic, especially in Texas, which enacted a six-week abortion ban in September. States have placed restrictions on chemical abortion pills such as requiring they be purchased in-person and through a provider, but pills not approved by the FDA have continued to sell online with ease. The FDA sent a cease and desist letter in 2019 to the top illegal supplier in the country, Aid Access, but no action has been taken to stop its sales.
The FDA announced in April 2021 that doctors could prescribe chemical abortion pills with virtual visits for the duration of the pandemic, but did not specify when that rule would lapse.