Telemed Abortions in Iowa
by Jeanne Monahan
May 19, 2010
A few months ago, I blogged about a Planned Parenthood affiliate in Iowa administering the dangerous RU-486 abortifacient regime via skype. A local news station in Iowa is now providing more information about this story:
The new telemedicine technique allows a doctor to talk to and dispense the pills to a patient in a remote office location using a camera and microphone connected to the Internet, which allows for two-way communication. Officials said the patient is counseled by on-site staff before connecting to talk to the doctor who is at a different location. After talking to the patient, the doctor can then tap a button on the computer to activate a special drawer at the patient’s location that will open and allow the patient to receive the pills. The patient then takes the first pills while the doctor watches.
To be clear, RU-486 isn’t considered the safest of drugs.
Due to potential adverse reactions (in particular, excessive bleeding to the extent of needing a blood transfusion or incomplete abortions requiring further surgery), RU-486 can only be administered by a physician who can do blood transfusions or surgical abortions should they be required.
By the spring of 2006 six years after RU-486 was made available in the United States, the FDA acknowledged six deaths, nine life-threatening incidents, 232 hospitalizations, 116 blood transfusions, and 88 cases of infections, with a total of 1070 adverse events reports.*
Once again I wonder how Planned Parenthood, an organization that advocates for women’s health, could possibly advocate administering this drug regime with less medical attention and supervision.
*Letter from David W. Boyer, Assistant Commissioner for Legislation, Food and Drug Administration, to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy and Human Resources (May 2, 2006) (on file with Subcommittee).
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Comments
This made front page news in the Des Moines Sunday Register last weekend.
OperationCounterstrike,
I have noticed that the FRC has a policy of always refering to this drug as RU-486 – a strange name. It is actually called mifepristone. RU-486 is it’s testing designation, used prior to achiving regulatory approval. The FRC continues to use it because the numerical identifier sounds scarey, somehow more dangerous than a name.
It’s real safety record is acceptable. As you pointed out, the FRC’s list of deaths and adverse reactions is intended to scare, but statistically is meaningless without also knowing the total number of uses. 1070 adverse reactions may seem bad, but if that is actually out of tens of millions of women treated then the actual risk becomes far smaller than would at first appear.
By: OperationCounterstrike | May 19, 2010 at 10:43 pm
By the spring of 2006, RU486 had been used in MILLIONS of abortions. And you cite what, a few hundred bad incidents, many of which are minor.
Statistically that makes RU486 less dangerous than crossing the street.
You folks at FRC are obviously math-impaired.