A website that has been offering abortion pills to “women who cannot access locally available abortion services” will now be providing abortion pills to women in the U.S.
Aid Access, a website started by Dr. Rebecca Gomperts of the Netherlands, offers consultation for abortion pills to women who are “healthy and less than 9 weeks pregnant.” After a “suggested payment” of $95, the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol will be delivered to the purchaser by mail.
Gomperts, also an abortion activist, told the website Mother Jones, “As a doctor I have the moral obligation to respond to health needs, and that’s why I decided to start Aid Access. It’s humanitarian aid—it’s protecting women’s health and their lives."
Aid Access sites a British Medical Journal (BMJ) study released last year to support their claim that abortion pills are safe, saying that as long as you have good information and access to emergency care, the process can be done safely at home.
But the website’s method of abortion doesn’t come without opposition. According to Life Site News, “Critics said the study lacks rigorous scientific standards for data collection.”
“There is a surprising lack of basic medical information, and all of the information is self-reported,” said Dr. Donna Harrison, associate scholar and executive director of American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
“There is not even any confirmation that the women who took the drugs were actually pregnant – no confirmatory urine or blood test by a medical professional, no ultrasound, no confirmation of any basic data,” she continued. “And, there is no report of how many women died...no confirmation of any of the self-reported complications. There is not even any way to tell if women died. Seriously? This study should have been thrown out in peer review.”
Additionally, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that "You should not buy Mifeprex over the Internet because you will bypass important safeguards designed to protect your health (and the health of others)."
"Mifeprex has special safety restrictions on how it is distributed to the public. Also, drugs purchased from foreign Internet sources are not the FDA-approved versions of the drugs, and they are not subject to FDA-regulated manufacturing controls or FDA inspection of manufacturing facilities," the FDA adds.
Even when taken under the direction of a doctor, abortion-inducing drugs carry potential side effects including uncontrolled bleeding, sepsis, flu-like symptoms and even death.
In light of Justice Brett Kavanaugh becoming the newest member of the Supreme Court and fears over the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade, it seems the interest in online access to abortion pills has been growing -- despite the lack of detailed studies on the medical risks.
H/T: Life Site News