{"id":1799,"date":"2023-03-08T16:14:21","date_gmt":"2023-03-08T21:14:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=1799"},"modified":"2023-03-08T16:14:21","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T21:14:21","slug":"white-house-says-regulating-access-to-abortion-pill-is-just-unacceptable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=1799","title":{"rendered":"White House says regulating access to abortion pill is \u2018just unacceptable\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-1800\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"555\" src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-1024x555.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-1024x555.png 1024w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-770x417.png 770w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-293x159.png 293w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11-390x211.png 390w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image-11.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>As pro-life organizations&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/studentsforlife.org\/2023\/03\/01\/students-for-life-of-america-announces-national-day-of-protest-at-local-pharmacies-to-cancel-abortion-cartels-more-than-40-protests-nationwide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prepared<\/a>&nbsp;to protest at Walgreens locations around the country this weekend and into the week, the White House condemned the retail pharmacy chain\u2019s decision not to distribute the abortion pill in at least 20 pro-life states following a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/walgreens-dispense-abortion-pill-pro-life-states\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a>&nbsp;from state attorneys general informing Walgreens that to do so would be illegal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Friday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=W4zYcAxQmmk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">read<\/a>&nbsp;a statement from the White House:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Elected officials targeting pharmacies and their ability to provide women with safe, effective and FDA-approved medication is dangerous and just unacceptable.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>This is all part of a continued effort by anti-abortion extremists who want to use this arcane law to impose a backdoor ban on abortion. The administration will continue to stand by the FDA\u2019s expert judgment in approving and regulating medications. And in the face of barriers to access and concerns about safety of patients, healthcare providers and pharmacists, we will continue to support access to this critical medication within the limits of the law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"&#039;Unacceptable And Dangerous&#039;: White House Blasts Walgreens Pharmacy Abortion Pill Decision\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W4zYcAxQmmk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"&#039;Unacceptable And Dangerous&#039;: White House Blasts Walgreens Pharmacy Abortion Pill Decision\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/W4zYcAxQmmk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/ago.mo.gov\/docs\/default-source\/press-releases\/2023-02-01-fda-rule---walgreens-letter-danielle-gray.pdf?sfvrsn=ff1e6652_2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">letter<\/a>&nbsp;to all 20 AGs, Danielle Gray, Executive VP of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc., verified it will not be distributing the abortion pill in Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.&nbsp;Not all the states prohibit distribution of the abortion pill through the mail, but many have laws requiring the abortion pill to be dispensed at a doctor\u2019s office or in person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin confirmed on February 23 that Walgreens has told him that it has \u201cno plans\u201d to distribute or ship abortion pills in the state since doing so would be contrary to state law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Skirting FDA regulations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The White House\u2019s statement that it is \u201cdangerous\u201d for Walgreens&nbsp;<em>not<\/em>&nbsp;to distribute the \u201cFDA-approved\u201d abortion pill leaves out some important details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The FDA&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/bad-actors-industry-fda-rules-risking-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lifted<\/a>&nbsp;safety rules that had been in place for 20 years in order to allow for easier distribution of the abortion pill, and there are indications that pharmacies could end up distributing the abortion pill&nbsp;<em>against<\/em>&nbsp;FDA regulation as abortion businesses are currently doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/drug-safety-and-availability\/risk-evaluation-and-mitigation-strategies-rems\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FDA<\/a>&nbsp;describes its&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accessdata.fda.gov\/drugsatfda_docs\/rems\/Mifepristone_2019_04_11_REMS_Document.pdf\">Risk Evaluation and Mitigation System<\/a>&nbsp;(REMS) as a&nbsp;\u201cdrug safety program that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can require for certain medications with serious safety concerns to help ensure the benefits of the medication outweigh its risks. REMS is designed to reinforce medication use behaviors and actions that support the safe use of that medication.\u201d There are only a few medications that require REMS, but the FDA has now lifted some of the REMS requirements for the abortion pill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The REMS protocol had&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/biden-administration-abortion-pill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">required<\/a>&nbsp;that the abortion pill was dispensed by a certified prescriber and administered in a medical setting. This helped to ensure a woman had a doctor following her care and prevented the abortion pill from being administered too far along in the pregnancy. It also meant the abortion pill could not be sold online. Without those regulations in place, women are at greater risk for complications. These requirements began to erode under the Obama administration and continued to be removed under the Biden administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As previously&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/bad-actors-industry-abortion-pill-fda-limits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>&nbsp;by Live Action News, the abortion industry has been purposely ignoring the FDA\u2019s current abortion pill regulations. For example, the FDA-approved limit for abortion pill use is 70 days (10 weeks), yet women are being prescribed the abortion pill into their second trimester of pregnancy. Orlando Women\u2019s Center abortion business states on its website that it offers a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenscenter.com\/abortion_pill.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">one hour abortion pill procedure<\/a>\u201d for women who are three to 14 weeks pregnant, prescribing the abortion pill four weeks beyond FDA approval \u2014 and there&nbsp;<em>is<\/em>&nbsp;no such FDA-approved one-hour protocol. The abortion business also&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.womenscenter.com\/abortion_pill.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">offers<\/a>&nbsp;the abortion pill for women through&nbsp;<em><strong>24 weeks of pregnancy<\/strong><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Planned Parenthood&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/bad-actors-industry-abortion-pill-fda-limits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dispenses<\/a>&nbsp;the abortion pill out of alignment with FDA approval as well, stating on its website that the abortion pill is available through 11 weeks, as do Cedar River Clinics and the University of California San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"cr7X1e\">Dr. Linda Prine\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/the-goods\/23580117\/linda-prine-abortion-pills-medication-dobbs-roe\" target=\"_blank\">told<\/a>\u00a0Vox News, \u201cThe pills are approved by the FDA for up to 10 weeks and by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2022\/06\/how-late-can-you-take-abortion-pill\/661437\/\">World Health Organization for up to 12<\/a>. Most of the time, though, they\u2019ve been used in our country under eight weeks; something like 75 percent to 80 percent of people using pills were using them under eight weeks pre-<em>Dobbs<\/em>.\u00a0<em><strong>But now, they\u2019re using them whenever they can get them. And sometimes that is quite a bit later.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0Sometimes it\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/health\/archive\/2022\/06\/how-late-can-you-take-abortion-pill\/661437\/\">14 weeks, 18 weeks<\/a>. And so we get calls from people completely freaked out, crying, sobbing.\u201d (emphasis added)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load\" title=\"1st Trimester Abortion - The Abortion Pill | Includes Fetal Development Information\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"about:blank\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IZa44vmvgIQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><noscript><iframe title=\"1st Trimester Abortion - The Abortion Pill | Includes Fetal Development Information\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IZa44vmvgIQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/noscript>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\u201cCritical medication\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In its statement, the White House called the abortion pill \u201ccritical medication\u201d and vowed that it would ensure women have access to it. But health care does not typically seek to kill humans (and these drugs are taken in order to kill humans) and mifepristone and misoprostol are not&nbsp;\u201ccritical medication\u201d for pregnancy. The abortion pill does not exist to heal, but to kill innocent, living human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If a woman\u2019s health or life is at risk during pregnancy, legitimate medicine would dictate that treatments would respect both the mother\u2019s and child\u2019s lives.&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/treatments-miscarriage-ectopic-legal-state\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Treatments<\/a>&nbsp;for miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy are not considered abortions and are not restricted by any pro-life law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If the pregnancy must end in order to save the woman\u2019s life,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/pro-life-replies-abortion-never-medically-necessary\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preterm delivery<\/a>&nbsp;and emergency C-sections are also not considered abortions. In these cases, the child is not directly and intentionally killed, but doctors do everything they can to deliver the child alive and administer medical aid to save the child\u2019s life as well as the mother\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Risks of abortion pill<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even under FDA-approved use, the abortion pill has been shown to be&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/study-abortion-pill-four-times-dangerous-surgical\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">four times more dangerous<\/a>&nbsp;than first-trimester surgical abortions. Now that women are being prescribed the abortion pill without being seen by a doctor for a prior exam \u2014 a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/no-test-abortion-pill-protocol-access-safety\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">no test<\/a>\u201d protocol \u2014 the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/no-test-abortion-pill-rh-testing-children\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">risks<\/a>&nbsp;are even greater for women. The no-test protocol&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/alarming-abortion-pill-ultrasounds-guess\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involves<\/a>&nbsp;no ultrasounds, no lab work, and no physical exam before an abortion client receives the abortion pill regimen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The abortion pill carries an increased risk of incomplete abortions as pregnancy progresses, which could lead to serious infection and a possible follow-up surgical abortion. The further along a woman is in her pregnancy, the greater the risk. If a doctor doesn\u2019t examine her to learn the true gestational age of her baby, then a woman is unable to fully understand the risks. Women with undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies are at risk of death from the abortion pill. In addition, about&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/obgyn-severe-complications-abortion-pill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six percent<\/a>&nbsp;of women who take the abortion pill have complications severe enough that they must visit an emergency room or urgent care center for treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On January 4, 2023, when the FDA&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/drugs\/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers\/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation#Additional%20Information\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">updated<\/a>&nbsp;its statistics on the abortion pill, the agency wrote that \u201cAs of June 30, 2022, there were&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/media\/164331\/download\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">28 reports of deaths<\/a>&nbsp;in patients associated with mifepristone since the product was approved in September 2000, including two cases of ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy located outside the womb, such as in the fallopian tubes) resulting in death; and several fatal cases of severe systemic infection (also called sepsis).\u201d*<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to the physical risks, women who take the abortion pill at home may experience emotional trauma as they see the body of their&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/women-describe-preborn-child-abortion-pills\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">deceased baby<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Abortion pill protests<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the weekend, Students for Life of America held its\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/studentsforlife.org\/2023\/03\/01\/students-for-life-of-america-announces-national-day-of-protest-at-local-pharmacies-to-cancel-abortion-cartels-more-than-40-protests-nationwide\/\" target=\"_blank\">National Day of Protest<\/a>\u00a0at local pharmacies, including Walgreens locations. In more than 40 protests across the country, the organization demanded that Walgreens along with CVS and Rite-Aid \u2018opt out\u2019 of selling the abortion pill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising is also\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CpYNgoMg6UH\/\" target=\"_blank\">holding<\/a>\u00a0its \u201cWalgreens Challenge\u201d this week, inviting its supporters to go to any Walgreens location to do a \u201c60-second disruption\u201d and then leave the store. The group encouraged pro-lifers to take videos of their protests and share them using the hashtag #<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/explore\/tags\/walgreenschallenge\/\" target=\"_blank\">WalgreensChallenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/white-house-access-abortion-pill-unacceptable\/\">https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/white-house-access-abortion-pill-unacceptable\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As pro-life organizations&nbsp;prepared&nbsp;to protest at Walgreens locations around the country this weekend and into the week, the White House condemned the retail pharmacy chain\u2019s decision not to distribute the abortion pill in at least 20 pro-life states following a&nbsp;letter&nbsp;from state attorneys general informing Walgreens that to do so would be illegal. On Friday, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre&nbsp;read&nbsp;a statement from the White House: Elected officials targeting pharmacies and their ability to provide women with safe, effective and FDA-approved medication is dangerous [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","category-president-biden"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/46"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1799"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1801,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1799\/revisions\/1801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1799"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1799"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1799"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}