“Safe and Effective” for Whom?
by Dr. Paul Aijian
Few issues are more divisive and passionately discussed than abortion.
The Supreme Court is currently hearing the “Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine vs the FDA.” The issue to be determined is the legality of the FDA having removed the safety standards that previously applied to the use of RU486 (mifepristone), to induce abortion.
Is abortion “Health Care” – a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body – or is it the killing of another preborn human being, created by God, with its own right to life? The abortion dilemma was sent back to the states to decide when Roe v Wade was struck down by the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. This has resulted in a remarkable patchwork of state policies; many are limiting abortion, while others are encouraging it to the greatest extent possible. Living in Texas is totally different than living in California when it comes to this matter. Most Americans feel that late term abortion is morally wrong, however many people support early gestation abortion rights.
Mifepristone is a chemical that inhibits progesterone receptors in the uterus. It is used, in combination with another drug called misoprostol, to terminate the life of the fetus. Mifepristone shuts down the endometrium, the rich lining of the uterus, on which the fetus is dependent. Starved of nutrition, the fetus dies. The usual prescription for chemical abortion involves taking Mifepristone orally, followed later by a dose of misoprostol, which forces the uterus to contract and expel the dead fetus and the endometrium.
Over a Million Abortions a Year in U.S.
The number of abortions done by this method now exceeds the number done surgically in the USA. In 2023, the number of abortions rose to 1,026,690. Sixty three percent of these were chemical abortions. The remainder were surgical abortions at various stages of pregnancy. As of now, the chemical abortion pill is available for pregnancy up to the 10th week of gestation.
The drug was initially approved by the FDA in 2000, and certain restrictions were placed on its use, due to risks to the health of the mother. Its use was initially limited to the first seven weeks of pregnancy. It had to be dispensed under the supervision of a licensed physician with the ability to determine the gestational age, and who would be able to manage any complications. In addition, the doctor was mandated to report any complications to the FDA.
In 2016, these restrictions were removed under the Obama administration, and then in 2021, under the Biden administration. The period of chemical abortion being permissible was increased to 10 weeks. Adverse complication reporting was no longer required. Any “health care provider” is now able to dispense these medicines, even by mail. Pharmacy chains are about to begin offering abortion pills, after recent FDA rulings. CVS and Walgreens have said they would start dispensing the pills this month.
Questioning its Safety is deemed “Disinformation”
Whether the FDA correctly decides the safety and effectiveness of a drug has become a question in the wake of the Covid 19 mRNA vaccine program. People defend the “Safe and Effective” mantra regarding the vaccine as passionately as they do the safety and effectiveness of the chemical abortion pill. There is no debate about the efficacy of the abortion pills: the baby is terminated. The safety issue is more debated.
Most medical and governmental organizations are confident in their assurance that safety is essentially guaranteed. The suggestion that there are any significant safety issues is called “disinformation.” One thing the mRNA vaccine and the abortion pill have in common is that they are promoted by big pharma. Someone is making a lot of money.
Multiple Possible Problems
The rate of “unplanned uterine aspiration” (a surgical procedure called Dilation and Curettage), in chemical abortion ranges from 1.8 to 4.2%. This is due to something called “incomplete abortion.” The fetus died, but the uterus did not completely expel it. The incidence of this problem rises with the fetal gestational age. If this procedure is done at home, without a doctor to advise her regarding this complication, the woman will likely end up in the ER.
“Unplanned,” the movie about Abby Johnson, is one I will never forget. She took the abortion pill and ended up lying on the floor in her shower, bleeding, in pain and alone. She was, at one time, manager of the biggest Planned Parenthood clinic in the country. After seeing an actual abortion being performed by a suction catheter, she was so horrified that she eventually went over to the other side. She quit and joined the protesters outside the fence surrounding her prior employer’s clinic. This movie is still available and is worth watching.
“Ectopic pregnancy” is where an embryo is growing in the fallopian tube, or somewhere outside of the uterus. It is more common in women who have had infections of their fallopian tubes, often as the result of a sexually transmitted disease. The woman has no idea that this is happening, initially. It can best be determined by ultrasound. The consequences of the rupture of an ectopic pregnancy can be serious or even fatal for the mother.
If the mother has taken the abortion pill, and has an ectopic pregnancy, she may confuse the pain associated with the rupture of the ectopic pregnancy with what she expects to be the impending expulsion of the dead fetus. This complication of chemical abortion is not common, but when it happens, it can be severe. It was because of issues like these that the original restrictions on administration of the abortion pill were put in place.
Another issue is the blood type of the baby and the mother being incompatible. This is called Rh factor incompatibility. When the baby has blood that is Rh positive and the mother is Rh negative, the mother should be given an injection of a drug called RhoGAM. This is done to prevent problems with future pregnancies. This issue will not likely be managed in the case of mail order, telemedicine, or drug store administered abortion pills. The incidence of this is low, however it is a problem.
Not All Complications are Physical.
The consequences, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, to the parents are huge. Depression, regret, anxiety and insomnia, broken relationships, and guilt, are all common consequences of this decision. In over 40 years of medical practice, I have tried to help many patients with these issues. Prescription drugs may palliate the symptoms, but they do not resolve the underlying cause. Counseling and the passage of time help, but in my opinion, the solution is spiritual. The people I have seen that make the most dramatic recovery are those who have found forgiveness from their Creator, and then have forgiven themselves.
The role of ultrasound in making decisions about having an abortion – including the baby’s actual age, and ruling out ectopic pregnancy – is very important. Prior to a surgical abortion, doctors need to get an ultrasound to correctly know how to plan what type of procedure they will do. If a woman is going to consider a chemical abortion, she is taking charge of what is about to happen. She needs to know how far along the pregnancy is. The further along the pregnancy, the greater the rate of complications of chemical abortion. In addition, it is not FDA approved after 10 weeks’ gestation.
Advice is Available
Network Medical Women’s Center is a local nonprofit medical clinic that provides free pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and STD testing and treatment. Most women who go in for an ultrasound early in pregnancy are surprised by what their baby looks like. They may have believed it was just a blob of cells, without any resemblance to a human being. Many of them have a change of heart and decide to keep the baby.
Another valuable service is counseling women and men who are dealing with the grief and loss they feel, having gone through with an abortion. This organization is having its annual event on April 22, at the Granada Theater. Kyle Mann, Editor-in-Chief of the Babylon Bee is the speaker. It ought to be an uplifting evening.
•••
Reference on this topic for those wanting more information:
Most Americans favor the Moloch ritual during early gestation ... for reasons of convenience: But they justify it with irrelevant concerns about rape and ectopic pregnancy. Few Americans understand the Moloch ritual is a billion dollar industry for Big Pharma, the research-for-profit industry, and the human organ trafficking market. It is also a necessary litmus test for the eugenics industry.
But what about safe, sane, consensual consent? What about 'informed' consent? What about the right of conscience, practice of religion, and the right to refuse to practice the Established Religion of Atheism? ...
None of these issues are covered well in the echo chambers of the Left, Right, or Confused Center.
Almost no one really knows what's actually going on. According to my former employer, abortion is safer than crossing the street. They also claimed that no baby parts were trafficked. And no crimes were covered up. That no patients were transferred to hospitals or suffered injuries or death due to surgical or chemical abortions. ... All of these 'facts' were lies. Published by a government agency with your tax dollars.
As for rape ... our agency knew full well that the number of abortions due to 'stranger' rape - that is, the sexual assault normies always imagine - was less than a 100 in the entire history of the agency ... a period of almost 40 years.
But ... there were also hundreds of abortions in the state due to 'rape' each year. What's the difference?
The difference is that 'rape' leading to abortion ... is almost always statutory rape of minors and/or sexual assault upon vulnerable women engaged in prostitution or drug abuse, or women assaulted while under the influence of alcohol or drugs they did not agree to take.
And the difference makes a huge difference ... because the objective of the abortion is the destruction of evidence of the crime. The woman getting the abortion is often being forced to do so by the abuser. In many cases the abuser/rapist is the person forcing the abortion to occur.
The industry knows this. It's a fraction of total abortions, but it's a significant fraction. If we have to burn civilization to the ground for a handful of mentally ill people who need psychiatry, why can't we investigate the 'root causes' of thousands of abortions?
The answer is obvious: The eugenics lobby and their minions don't want to know.
Pardon the rant.
I went to my hairdresser yesterday and at the checkout desk was a Planned Parenthood sign that had previously not been there. When I asked my sweet, kind, CS Lewis loving, 60 yo Christian hairdresser about it, she adamantly voiced her support for PP, saying, “no child should have to come into this world to be tortured, I WISH I HAD BEEN ABORTED.” That stopped me in my tracks. “Father, we need your healing!”
Thank you, Dr. Aijian for this articulate, comprehensive and timely article!