FDA clears abortion pill to be sold at pharmacies
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier on mifepristone-induced abortions and new clearance that would allow the drug to be sold at pharmacies.
Medical professionals have issued stern warnings after the FDA allowed pharmacies across the country to carry abortion pills.
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier said the lax restrictions and removal of safety precautions will ultimately cause harm.
Saphier explained on "Fox & Friends" Thursday that around half of all abortions performed in America are done using medication. The process is called medical abortion and is an alternative to surgical abortions.
The abortion pills, Saphier said, can terminate a pregnancy if taken within the first 10 weeks of gestation but can cause some severe reactions.
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The Plan C website on a laptop computer arranged in the Brooklyn borough of New York, US, on Thursday, Oct. 27, 2022. Plan C, an American group that provides information on how to obtain at-home abortion medications, conducts tests to verify that Indian generics arriving via post are legitimate. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"For over 20 years, the FDA has required mifepristone not only be given directly by the physician, but taken in front of a clinician as well to be able to assess for some potentially severe side effects," Saphier told host Ainsley Earhardt.
"After the overturning of Roe and some pressure from pro-abortion groups, the FDA has walked back on that."
Now, Saphier said, patients can request the pill via a virtual meeting with their physician and either pick up the medication at their local pharmacies or have it mailed to their homes. Ultrasounds, physical exams and blood testing are no longer required.
She went on to explain the potential harm if the pill is taken incorrectly.
"If you take that medication after 10 weeks gestation, it can cause birth defects in the child, it may not cause an abortion, and you have a higher risk of a severe outcome," she said.
In addition to possible birth defects, a failed abortion pill could also complicate the pregnancy and the birthing process.
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FILE - Boxes of the drug mifepristone sit on a shelf at the West Alabama Women's Center in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on March 16, 2022. On Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023, the Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule change that allows women seeking abortion pills to get them through the mail, replacing a long-standing requirement that they pick up the medicine in person. (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File) (AP Photo/Allen G. Breed, File)
Saphier said about half of women don’t know right away how far along they are in their pregnancies, and without an ultrasound, the chance of taking an abortion pill after 10 weeks is even higher.
While the FDA did not issue an announcement about the decision, the two makers of the pill, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, released statements saying the agency had informed them of the action.
Saphier emphasized that the medication at issue is different from the Plan B "morning-after" pill which is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.
She strongly encouraged anyone considering a medical abortion to seek care from a physician and make sure they're using the pills safely.
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"We need to stop cutting through the red tape, and politics need to stop inserting themselves into science as that's what we're seeing here," she said.
"They're taking away these safety barriers, and people are going to be harmed because of it."
Fox News' Sarah Rumpf contributed to this report.
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