Removing the Standard of Care Doesn’t Remove the Risk

NO SURPRISES HERE! On Thursday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) made “permanent” its April 2021 Covid Pandemic lifting of medical restrictions on RU486 ALLOWING ABORTION PILLS BY MAIL! While we anticipated the FDA’s further expansion of this dangerous Death by Mail distribution of the RU486 chemical abortion protocol, it only affirms the abortion lobby’s disregard for human life. This reaffirms what ProLife advocates have continued to say - that their anti-Iife agenda is also anti-women’s health and safety!

The FDA order removes the longstanding required in-person medical provider protocol for women seeking a chemical abortion (medical-nonsurgical termination of her pregnancy). Thursday’s decision by the FDA allows the combination abortion pills protocol - mifepristone and misoprostol, to be distributed by mail. (During the Covid 19 Pandemic, the FDA had temporarily lifted the in-person medical protocol requirement on mifepristone, the first of the two-drug protocol required to end a pregnancy).

“Sadly, we were anticipating this tragic weakening of Federal safety regulations and further disregard for the health of young girls and women,” said Kentucky Right to Life Executive Director, Addia Wuchner. “Kentucky Right to Life has been conferring for over a year with other prolife groups and medical professionals on this matter. Long before the pandemic, we were acutely aware of this extended overexpansion by the abortion and anti-life lobby and their promotion of dangerous DO-IT-YOURSELF abortions. They view chemical abortion as the future of their industry, as it is cost-effective for them and more difficult to regulate.”

On Wednesday of this week, Addia, Kentucky State Representative Nancy Tate and Dr. Ingrid Skop presented legislation for the upcoming Legislative Session before the Interim Joint Committee on Health and Welfare. The Humanity in Healthcare Act is multi-provisional legislation prepared for the 2022 General Assembly Session.

An entire section of the bill contains language that would ban mail-order abortions in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The proposed bill requires standardized practice for distribution of this two-pill abortion protocol which includes an in-person meeting with the medical provider, an ultrasound to confirm pregnancy and gestational age, lab work such as testing for RH factor and STD screening, along with information on medical risks for example infection or bleeding, what to expect after taking the medication, when to seek emergency treatment if necessary, and requires a 14-day follow-up visit with her medical provider. It also reaffirms that the women be provided information on abortion bill reversal, currently required by Kentucky law.

In recent months, we have presented an overview of the Humanity in Healthcare Act 2022 before two interim legislative committee hearings and on KET Kentucky Tonight.

Kentucky Right to Life is the oldest statewide ProLife organization serving and advocating for the protection of the unborn child and the most vulnerable in our midst. We are unwaveringly ProWoman and ProWomen’s Health and while we DO NOT advocate or promote abortion. We will not stand silently in the face of risky healthcare measures that hold little regard for the current or future health of Kentucky’s young girls and women.