The moment the brand-new study came out showing the real-world harms of the abortion pill, I felt an urgency to share it. I have sat in front of you in our intake room as you share your post abortion stories. I held your hands and cried with you. I have prayed for you. I have sat in silence as I listened to your stories of how the abortion industry failed you, from hemorrhaging alone at home with your toddler to going septic in the hospital. From having your abuser attempt to shove mail-ordered abortion pills down your throat to you weeping in the bathroom holding a 12-week fetus you were told would be a clump of cells.
We, pregnancy center workers, hear you. We see you. We know what is true. But now, there is a LARGE study to prove your stories. This new study, released in April, shows the true dangers of the abortion pill. It shows that it is far more dangerous and far more complicated than simply “taking Tylenol.”
The new study completed by the Ethics & Public Policy Center has analyzed 865,727 claims of women who were administered Mifepristone from the recent years of 2017-2023.
The findings are astounding. I will share all the links at the end, but I will also summarize the results below.
- This is the largest-known study of the abortion pill process. It is based on an analysis of data from an all-payer insurance claim database.[1]
- The results show that 10.93 percent of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, or another serious adverse event within 45 days following a mifepristone abortion.
- This rate is at least 22 times higher than what is reported on the drug label during the clinical trials (reporting less than 0.5%).
- This study did not focus on expected side effects or outcomes. It did not focus on mild to moderate adverse reactions. The study focused primarily on serious or life-threatening events defined by the FDA. [2]
- Over 3,000 women were administered Mifepristone who had an undiagnosed Ectopic Pregnancy.
This failure to properly diagnose the ectopic pregnancy before the abortion attempt placed each of these women’s lives at risk.
This reinforces why, at minimum, the safety protocols requiring an in-person doctor’s visit should be restored to protect women’s health. Without a doctor’s visit, how can the FDA expect women with ectopic pregnancies to follow the FDA requirement that ectopic pregnancies be ruled out prior to a chemical abortion and thereby avoid the extreme risk of a chemical abortion for them? This data clearly shows that in over 3,000 cases in our data alone, the FDA, the manufacturer, and the prescriber of mifepristone failed these women who had pre-existing ectopic pregnancies and did not know it.[3]
- The study shows a high failure rate. Approximately 1 in 19 women will experience an incomplete abortion after taking the abortion pill process and will need to proceed with a surgical abortion. [4] [5]
Conclusion of Study
“Mifepristone abortion as currently practiced in the U.S is not safe or effective. As our previous paper showed, the real-world rate of serious adverse events following mifepristone abortions are at least 22 times as high as reported on the drug label. Now we also find that it’s failure rate is significantly higher than reported on the drug label. Altogether, roughly one in seven women who are prescribed a mifepristone abortion experiences a severe adverse event or undergoes a repeated abortion attempt soon afterwards due to the failure of the mifepristone abortion regimen.”
It's time that you know the facts before making the decision to have an abortion. We want you to know the pros and cons of every possible option available to you before making a final pregnancy decision. We believe that informed consent is crucial to empower women.
Are you pregnant and afraid? Maybe you are confused by hearing conflicting information on the internet? Call us today for a free medical appointment. We would love to help you and support you during this difficult time.
[1] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67fa9578fa615424c90a2ba4/t/680d0a6ce5d4447049c864fc/1745685101675/The+Abortion+Pill+Harms+Women.pdf
[2] https://stopharmingwomen.org/resources/fact-sheet-excluded-adverse-events-in-real-world-study-of-mifepristone
[3] https://stopharmingwomen.org/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-largest-study-on-chemical-abortion
[4] https://stopharmingwomen.org/resources/insurance-data-reveals-repeated-abortion-attempts-due-to-high-failure-rate
[5] https://static1.squarespace.com/static/67fa9578fa615424c90a2ba4/t/68215b7238d65e75d54a6eaa/1747016563513/25-05_SHW_Insurance_Data_Reveals_Repeated_Abortion_Attempts_Due_to_High_Failure_Rate.pdf