Chemical Abortion on the Rise in the U.S.: New Report

Abortion, , ,

According to the Wall Street Journal, drug-induced abortion is on the rise in the U.S.

The article cited a report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute. The group estimates that nearly two-thirds of all abortions performed in the U.S. during 2023 used abortion drugs like the RU-486 regimen.

Abortion drugs end the life of an unborn child, and they carry significant health risks for women.

In some cases, abortion drugs actually can be more dangerous that surgical abortion procedures. Despite these risks, the federal government has gone to great lengths to de-regulate abortion drugs.

When the FDA first approved RU-486 in 2000, a woman seeking a drug-induced abortion was required to visit the doctor three times — which included an initial medical evaluation and follow-up appointments to ensure that the woman did not experience health complications.

In 2016, that number of visits was reduced from three to one.

Then in 2021, the FDA removed the in-person visit with a doctor altogether — making it possible to obtain RU-486 through the mail without medical exam or sonogram.

Today, abortion is prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, but over the years Arkansas’ legislators also have enacted various laws restricting chemical abortion and preventing abortion drugs from being delivered illegally by mail into Arkansas.

When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, we talked about how the decision marked a turning point for the pro-life movement. Going forward, we and others said that pro-lifers would need to shift our focus from making abortion illegal to making abortion unthinkable. This latest abortion data goes to show that is likely to be a long-term process.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Governor Outlines Maternal Health Plan

Pro-Life, ,

Last week Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders released a statement and signed an executive order outlining a step-by-step plan for improving maternal health in Arkansas.

The plan includes expanded maternal healthcare access in Arkansas, increasing the percentage of women who access prenatal care, and creating a pilot program for improving maternal health in under-served counties.

It’s worth noting that Arkansas provides grant funding to pregnancy health organizations that help fulfill some of the governor’s maternal wellness goals.

As we have written before, many pregnancy resource centers provide everything from ultrasounds and pregnancy tests to prenatal and postnatal resources, medical referrals, and more — typically free of charge.

Last year Gov. Sanders signed Act 622 authorizing $1 million in state-funded grants for pregnancy resource centers, maternity homes, adoption agencies, and social services agencies that provide material support to women with unplanned pregnancies.

To date the state has awarded nearly $500,000 to more than two dozen different pregnancy resource centers. The rest of the $1 million in grant funding is expected to be distributed between now and June 30.

Family Council was pleased to support passage of Act 622 last year, and we plan to work for passage of another appropriation measure at the Arkansas Legislature next month.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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