By Dave Andrusko
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert
Over the weekend Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed a bill that requires abortionists to inform women who are undergoing a chemical abortion that their abortion may be halted if they do not take the second of the two-drug RU486 abortion technique.
The law, HB141, is scheduled to take effect in May.
In the past two years Arkansas and South Dakota have enacted similar laws. According to Ingrid Duran, NRLC director of State Legislation, Indiana {where it has passed the House} and North Carolina are also considering measures that would inform women that should they change their minds, they have this choice.
In a chemical [“RU-486”] abortion, a woman takes two drugs: Mifeprex, at the abortion clinic, and then 48-72 hours later, misoprostol, a prostaglandin, typically at home.
The former blocks progesterone, which is crucial to early fetal development, the later causes uterine contractions which expel the developing child.
Here’s how a chemical abortion is halted. Instead of taking the second pill [the misoprostol], the pregnant woman is given large dosages of progesterone in order to counteract the Mifeprex
Opponents argue if a woman has changed her mind, just let her not take the second drug. Somewhere in the vicinity of 30% of babies will not be aborted, they say.
But there is a much higher rate of success when the woman is given high dosages of progesterone. As Dr. George Delgado, one of the pioneers of this technique, has said, by using progesterone, they hope to “out-compete [mifepristone] at the receptor.”
Dr. Mary Francis testified before the Indiana House Public Policy Committee on House Bill (HB)112. Subsequently she wrote an op-ed for the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.
Here is how Dr. Francis completed her op-ed:
HB 1128 informs women who are seeking chemical abortions that abortion reversal may be possible, should she change her mind. It places no additional burden on the abortion business. It doesn’t block access to abortion. Abortion pill reversal information empowers women. I urge the Indiana legislature to pass this bill. I’m glad we are talking about this issue. But as we talk about it, your readers deserve to have balanced reporting – a child’s life may depend on it.