Abortion pills are the most common method of abortion in the U.S. These pills continue to be used by women in states that abortion is limited and/or banned and do not have abortion centers. The premise behind these pills is women can have chemical abortions at home up to 10 weeks into the pregnancy under a doctor’s care. While convenient to the mother, there are issues with this approach. Let’s take a look.
How Safe Is It?
One of the most common reasons given against banning abortion is:
“It is no exaggeration to say that because of state bans already in effect, as well as any potential additional state or national ban, people will die.”
This was what we have heard whenever the topic of abortion bans come up. How safe is medical abortion? That appears to be very subjective. An article published by the National Institute of Medicine in 2021 reporting the adverse events reported to the FDA between 2000-2019 indicated:
“Significant morbidity and mortality have occurred following the use of mifepristone as an abortifacient. A pre-abortion ultrasound should be required to rule out ectopic pregnancy and confirm gestational age. The FDA AER (Adverse Event Reports” system is inadequate and significantly underestimates the adverse events from mifepristone.”
Another National Institute of Medicine article published in December 2021 spoke to conflicting results of analysis in 2009 and 2010:
There are significant discrepancies in the total number of AERs and specific AEs for 2009 and 2010 mifepristone abortions reported in 1. Cleland’s documentation of Planned Parenthood AEs, 2. FAERS dashboard, and 3. AERs provided through FOIA. These discrepancies render the FAERS inadequate to evaluate the safety of mifepristone abortions.
The conflicting data continues in a report from LifeNews published in February 2022:
“What to say? For starters, we know of 26 death associated with the use of mifepristone and misoprostol. And things are much more dangerous now. These figures—the 26 deaths and the thousands of adverse events such as hemorrhage, infection, and ectopic pregnancy–were obtained under the old REMS [Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy] regulations. Those required the woman to go to the office visit to pick up the pills. What about “adverse events reports”? There are thousands of them.”
So once again, what is truth? One thing is certain, that the safety of these drugs is not clear. There are other medications available for ‘self-administered” abortions and in many cases these pills are available at local pharmacies with a prescription. The reality is these pills have a much broader impact than just terminating the pregnancy.
There’s More …..
In addition to the safety concerns about these pills there is additional impact – these pills are releasing dangerous chemicals and the remains of aborted babies into the wastewater. In a letter to the Biden Administration a coalition of federal lawmakers questioned the risk to our water supply:
“Given the steadily increasing rate of at-home chemical abortions, it is vital that the [EPA] ensure mifepristone, the drug’s active metabolites in blood and placenta tissue, and the fetal remains of unborn children — all of which are unbelievably being flushed into America’s wastewater system — do not pose a threat to the health and safety of humans and wildlife.”
In the rush to provide abortion “solutions”, there has not been much if any research into the effects of these medications to the wastewater. In typical Biden fashion, the “rush to preserve abortion rights” has been expanded without regard to the impact of the environment and the health of the water system. I call it the “shoot first, then aim” approach.
Catholics understand the depravity of abortion in general, but the thought of the remains of God’s children flushed down the toilet goes against everything we believe as disciples of Jesus. Catholic social teaching teaches us about the value and dignity of human life. Pope John Paul II stated:
Human persons are willed by God; they are imprinted with God’s image. Their dignity does not come from the work they do, but from the persons they are. (See St. John Paul II, On the Hundredth Year [Centesimus annus], no. 11)
While I question those that claim to be Catholic and support abortion, where is the love for God and the dignity of the human person in using medications that will cause human remains to be flushed down a toilet into the wastewater system? The Catechism of The Catholic Church states in section 2300:
The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the resurrection. The burial of the dead is a corporal work of mercy, it honors the children of God, who are temples of the Holy Spirit.
The Church in 2301 also states:
The Church permits cremation provided it does not demonstrate a denial of faith in the resurrection of the body.
So from my perspective, these pills bring us to a newer level of human desecration than we have ever seen before. What is your perspective about this? Do you agree or not? Do you have other thoughts you would like to share? As always, comments are encouraged and I will respond back.
God Bless
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In