Less than a year after the Obama Administration loosened FDA recommendations on the abortion drug RU-486, a new report found more women are using the method to abort their unborn babies.
In April, the FDA expanded its recommendations for RU-486 by allowing it to be administered up until 10 weeks of pregnancy instead of seven, and allowing smaller doses to be used. These measures save abortion businesses money but put unsuspecting women in greater danger of complications.
Reuters recently reviewed abortion data from Planned Parenthood and state health departments, and found the number of abortions using the drug increased 35 percent between 2010 and 2014, representing 43 percent of all reported abortions in 2014. In addition, the review found that drug-induced abortions increased even more in 2016 after the FDA expanded its guidelines for the drug’s use.
In the past few months, demand for the abortion drugs has tripled in Ohio, Texas and North Dakota, according to the review. In some states, the abortion drugs, as opposed to a surgical abortion procedure, have become the primary method for aborting unborn babies.
Nationwide, medical abortions are now approaching the number of surgical abortions for the first time — a major shift for American abortion providers.
In some states, medical abortions are already surpassing surgery: Fifty-five percent of women chose medical abortions in Michigan, and 64 percent of women chose the medication in Iowa, according to recent data from state officials and clinics.
The national rate of medical abortions has been steadily on the rise. The new rules made twice as many abortion patients eligible for the drug.
Even before the FDA’s ruling, 43 percent of women ended their pregnancies with medication at Planned Parenthood in 2014, compared to 35 percent in 2010, according to new data from the group.
The use of medication has risen sharply since it first won U.S. approval in 2000.
In 2001, medical abortions made up just 6 percent of all abortions. Ten years later, the figure had risen to 23 percent, according to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The previous FDA standards were strict for good reason. An FDA study from 2011 showed that RU-486 is responsible for the deaths of at least 14 women in the U.S. and dozens more worldwide. In the April 2011 report, the FDA found that 2,207 women in the U.S. also were injured by the drug. A Planned Parenthood study also admitted at least one woman is seriously injured from the abortion drug daily. In addition, approximately 1.52 million unborn babies lost their lives to the abortion drugs from 2000 to 2011, according to the FDA.
SIGN THE PLEDGE: I Pledge to Vote for a Pro-Life Candidate for President
The abortion drug works by slowly starving a baby to death over a period of days, former abortionist Dr. Anthony Levatino said in a Live Action video explaining the abortion procedure. Most women receive the abortion drug RU-486 and a second drug to induce labor at the abortion facility, but experience the actual abortion at home without medical supervision.
Randall O’Bannon, director of research for the National Right to Life Committee, previously explained how the weakened FDA standards benefits Planned Parenthood and other abortion businesses. He said the measure will increase abortion groups’ profits by requiring smaller doses of the drug and reducing the number of staff needed for patient care.
“It looks like this benefits the abortion industry and increases their potential customer base and revenues, but it’s not clear that anything here makes it safer for women in the long run, and certainly nothing about a chemical abortion makes it any safer for the unborn child,” O’Bannon said.
According to the new FDA rules, the drug can be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. By 10 weeks, an unborn baby’s heart already is beating, his/her organs, limbs and other features are in place, and he/she already may be sucking its thumb.
