By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
Officials at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America have announced plans to expand the practice of dispensing the dangerous abortion drug known as RU486 to women via teleconference with a physician rather than direct contact.
According to an undercover report by Tara Shaver of the national pro-life group, Operation Rescue, the scheme, dubbed “telemed abortion” involves the dispensing of RU486 via teleconference hook-up in clinics in Iowa where an abortionist is not readily available. The abortionist sits in front of a webcam and pushes a button to electronically open a drawer in the faraway clinic containing the drugs. A licensed physician never physically examines the woman at anytime.
Operation Rescue has filed complaints with the Iowa Board of Medicine against Planned Parenthood alleging that the telemed abortion scheme is dangerous, illegal, and violates FDA protocols for usage of the drug, known as RU486, or Mifepristone. The Board is currently investigating.
In the meantime, however, Planned Parenthood has announced plans to expand the “telemed abortion” scheme throughout Iowa and the U.S. as part of its Strategic Plan for 2015.
“If this push-button abortion scheme is allowed to spread, it will only increase the number of abortions at a time when abortion rates are falling and abortion clinics are closing,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Not only will more babies die, but women will be placed in increased danger of serious medical complications or death, with no real emergency plan other than to make patients fend for themselves at whatever emergency room they can find.”
Chemical abortions are particularly risky because they take days to complete, can be very painful, and involve heavy bleeding and cramping until the pre-born baby is expelled.
As many as 13 women are believed to have died after taking RU-486, many of them due to infections caused by incomplete abortions. Other serious complications have been reported in at least 1,000 other cases. This prompted the FDA to require stronger warning labels on the drug in 2004.
But the drug has proved to be a lucrative product for the abortion industry.
“In addition to the dangers, telemed abortions are a cash cow for the abortion cartel. Planned Parenthood is charging insurance companies twice the price of cash patients, without having to pay an on-site abortionist. If this dangerous scheme is allowed to spread, it will increase health care costs for everyone,” said Newman.
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