By L.A. Williams
Christian Action League
April 12, 2024
A healthcare crisis – that is how nurse Christa Brown described the massive rise in chemical abortions over the last few years. Making up just 20 percent of the fatal procedures in 2017, abortions using mifepristone and misoprostol now account for an estimated 80 percent, she told attendees at the Medical and Social Issues Conference sponsored by LifeLink Carolina in Raleigh on Saturday.
But Brown, a registered nurse who serves as director of medical impact for the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, assured the 150 or so representatives of North Carolina pregnancy resource centers that help is available for women who change their minds after taking the first abortion pill. She said the Abortion Pill Rescue Network — a group of more than 1,000 volunteer medical providers and pregnancy help organizations across the world – has served women across all 50 states and in 93 other countries, using the natural hormone progesterone. Brown said more than 4,000 babies have been rescued by abortion pill reversal, a protocol that is becoming all the more important as abortion drugs become more accessible.
“Anybody who has a phone or computer can have abortion drugs delivered to their doorstep,” Brown said. “People can go across the nation’s southern border and purchase them without a prescription. And there are more than 70 websites at any given time – some run by pharmacies and others by abortion clinics – where they can be ordered. They offer discounts if you buy in bulk, which caters to sex traffickers.”
She cited cases in which men, hoping to end their lovers’ pregnancies, bought the drugs and slipped them to them unawares. In fact, a Texas man who drugged his wife’s drinks was sentenced for his crimes in February.
“The latest idea is to allow pharmacists to prescribe the drugs as a next step toward moving these to over-the-counter, and already there are telemedicine doctors who will prescribe them for anyone that they deem is underserved, whether abortion is legal where they are or not,” Brown said. Although mifepristone is FDA-approved for use through only the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, she said it is being used later and later, increasing the number of adverse effects.
“Abortion related ER visits have increased by 300 percent,” Brown said.
She briefly explained how the abortion drugs work: mifepristone blocks the production of progesterone, which is needed to sustain life in the womb; and misoprostol then causes the uterus to contract and empty. Rather than in brick-and-mortar clinics, she said abortion in 2024 is much more often a woman alone in her bathroom, experiencing severe cramping and bleeding and trying to decide if she should seek emergency care.
“Most women are at home, but some actually try to go to work or are traveling because they believe the pill is no more dangerous than a Tylenol, and their mindset is that they have to go on with their normal life,” Brown said. “You could be in a grocery store, on a plane, wherever, and be next to a woman who is about to take this pill or has just taken it.”
She said before women make any kind of decision about their pregnancy, they need a reliable pregnancy test, confirmation of the baby’s viability, dating and placement, Rh type/factor and Hemoglobin testing. They also need to understand their risks for infection and sexually transmitted disease and understand how abortion medications work and what risks they present. Too often, that isn’t happening, Brown said. Sometimes women who contact the Abortion Pill Rescue Hotline are not even sure what medicine they have ingested. Many are anxious and desperate to find out if there is some way to undo what is happening.
“About 78 percent of the calls we get come in within the first 24 hours of taking the first pill,” Brown said. If the woman wants to reverse the abortion, she must have progesterone as soon as possible, which is an important role of the network. Trained hotline nurses explain the reversal protocol, gather information about the woman and connect her with a provider near her. Once she understands the situation, if she chooses to attempt reversal, the progesterone is called into her pharmacy or dispensed through a pregnancy help organization, clinic, or hospital. She is advised of recommended follow-up appointments and connected with a PRC.
Brown emphasized that help from PRCs is integral as women receiving the progesterone will need frequent ultrasound follow-ups, referrals to prenatal care, ongoing support and possibly abortion recovery services if the intervention is not successful. She pointed out that the same pressures that drove the woman to take the abortion pill in the first place will most likely remain even as she moves forward with the reversal.
“If the reversal fails, she may need help with disposal of the baby, grief support and abortion recovery,” she said.
Thankfully, according to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, using progesterone, medical professionals have been able to save roughly 68 percent of pregnancies through the reversal process.
To learn more, visit https://aprnworldwide.com/.
Brown was one of five speakers at Saturday’s LifeLink Carolina conference held at the McKimmon Conference and Training Center on the campus of NC State.