By Patricia Lee June, MD,
PPL Board Member
DECEPTION: The abortion pill Mifepristone or Mifeprex (Chemical Abortion) is a “viable” medical solution for the post-Roe era of reduced access to abortion clinics.
FACT: Chemical abortions are not only about 99% fatal for the developing embryo (somewhat less so later in pregnancy) but carry significant risks for the mother and her future children.
The abortion pill, also known as “medical abortion,” in early pregnancy has been the perceived panacea for the years following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Since the abortion pill’s sole purpose is to cause death,
“medication” is an inaccurate term.
A chemical abortion protocol was approved by the FDA in 2000, fast-tracked under political pressure, initially with requirements for reporting side effects, three visits to physicians with training in diagnosing and handling serious side effects and access to medical facilities that could provide this care. For example, Mifeprex suppresses the immune system. The dosage was changed due to the deaths of at least five women from Clostridium sordellii, a bacterium that is nearly always fatal in postpartum and post-abortive women. Initial symptoms of this infection mimic those expected after taking the chemical - cramping, pain, nausea and vomiting, without fever. Not recognizing the presence of an infection, these five women died within a week.
Most dangerous other side effects include hemorrhage (15%), incomplete abortion (6%), and undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy (diagnostic ultrasounds are often omitted). One in 25 women requires an ER visit. Although it is standard of care for miscarriage and surgical abortion, Rh testing is not routinely done; Rhogam is often not given even if the mother is known to be Rh negative, potentially putting her future Rh-positive children at risk. Rhogam very early in pregnancy may later prove unnecessary, but we do not know that now and Rh disease is preventable and can be devastating to future children. Incomplete abortions may respond to repeating the chemicals but may require surgical evacuation which increases the risk of future extreme prematurity. Untreated ectopic pregnancies rupture at two months, resulting in death of the baby and risk of fatal maternal hemorrhage.
Less serious side effects that mimic those of sepsis or a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (leading to delayed diagnosis) include severe abdominal cramping, nausea and vomiting, fever, chills, and headache. Less common moderate to severe reactions include hypotension, myocardial infarction, uterine rupture and pulmonary embolism.
Safety requirements have been repeatedly removed since 2016. In states without stricter requirements, only deaths are reported, “certified” retail pharmacies or providers dispense the pills with no office visit needed, and the black box warning that previously required patients to be told to inform emergency department healthcare providers of their chemical abortion, should they require emergency care, was eliminated. Pills are available through telemedicine or mail order. The dating of pregnancy is limited to what the mother reports which is often inaccurate.
Abortion pill reversal: Mifepristone (Mifeprex or RU-486), a synthetic steroidal anti-progesterone agent taken on day one, blocks progesterone receptors in the uterus, leading to placental abruption and fetal death. Misoprostol(Cytotec), a synthetic prostaglandin taken 24 - 48 hours later, induces contractions to force the embryo (or fetus) out of the uterus.
Because physicians can block the action of Mifeprex through large doses of progesterone, a hormone used for decades to treat threatened miscarriage
(if started within 48 hours of Mifeprex and not taking Cytotec),
67% of babies can be saved.
While Cytotec is used therapeutically to induce labor at term, it does cause birth defects when it is used in early pregnancy. Mifeprex does not cause birth defects.
Go to https://www.abortionpillreversal.com/ or call 1-877-558-0333.
In 2024, two young women were reported as dying from side effects of chemical abortions. The young women who died succumbed to known side effects of the abortion pill. Those describing/distributing the pills apparently did not adequately warn them of the symptoms of serious side effects, nor did they provide any follow-up care or adequately stress the need to promptly seek medical care at some emergency room. There is no public record yet available regarding what the ER staff was told or why the physicians delayed treatment. Nor is it public whether they had Clostridium sordeii versus a treatable infection. The family is suing the treating hospital/physicians but apparently not those who provided the fatal chemicals. Unlike the abortion industry’s inaccurate reporting, it is always legal and mandatory to give a woman life-saving treatment.
Chemical abortions are used to intentionally kill humans in early pregnancy and have been used at late as 7 months gestation. Risks increase as pregnancy progresses. These pills are available without seeing a physician and also illegally through the mail. Not only are basic screening procedures not being done, women and girls are not screened for sex trafficking, coercion, or sexual abuse. Women are delivering alone at home in the bathroom, and some develop post-traumatic stress syndrome. These women need pastoral care, as do all – men and women –who have been involved in the intentional killing of children.
I Peter 2:16 “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”
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