Misinformation a Concern of Physician Advocates on Both Sides of the Abortion Issue

WASHINGTON — Abortion misinformation has been on the minds of ob/gyns this week — on both sides of the abortion issue.

On Tuesday morning here, a coalition of anti-abortion groups, including the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the Catholic Medical Association, and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations announced the launch of the Women’s Healthcare Declaration, a document that the signatories say is aimed at “two particular areas of concern — the widespread use of drug-induced abortions and the dissemination of incorrect information targeted at healthcare professionals and patients” in states that have enacted abortion restrictions in the wake of the Dobbs decision that overturned federal laws permitting abortion nationwide.

“Women and their pre-born children deserve the best healthcare possible, and they deserve accurate information about their healthcare, as well as the laws that impact that care,” Christina Francis, MD, CEO of AAPLOG, said at a press conference here. “All of us can agree on that.”

“Elective induced abortion, which intends the death of a pre-born child, does not improve women’s health, and many times actively worsens it,” said Francis. “In fact, induced abortion negatively impacts mental health, causing an up to seven times increased risk of suicide, as well as an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and substance abuse, even when compared to women who carry an unintended pregnancy to term,” she said. “Surgical abortions also cause an increased risk of preterm birth in future pregnancies.”

Better Explanations Needed

States with abortion restrictions are not endangering women’s health, according to Francis. “Women and physicians across this country also need to know that every state in the country allows physicians like me to intervene immediately to treat miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, post-abortion complications, and other potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications at any point in pregnancy,” she said.

Cortney Draper, MD, an emergency physician in Charleston, South Carolina, agreed. “I have often treated pregnant women facing medical emergencies requiring emergent intervention, such as ectopic pregnancies and complicated miscarriages,” she said. “For example, just last week, I treated a woman who unfortunately had a tubal atopic pregnancy. There was no legal question about my ability to appropriately treat her emergency. In fact, this treatment is not legally restricted by any state’s law.”

During a question-and-answer session, MedPage Today asked about situations in which doctors in states with abortion restrictions, fearing jail time or loss of their medical license, declined to help women who were bleeding or had other serious pregnancy complications until they were on the brink of death. “I do not think it is the fault of the state laws,” Francis said. “I have looked at all of these state laws with attorneys … All of these state laws use language that has been used in other areas of law governing the practice of medicine, and so the language is actually very clear. Where this has broken down has been the lack of explanation between [sic] the law and the physician.”

“Normally, physicians rely upon our professional medical organizations, our state medical boards, our hospital administration to convey accurate information about their laws,” she added. “Certainly in some states, we have seen this done very well. For instance, recently in the state of Florida, a letter was sent out to every single licensed medical professional in the state clearly stating when they could intervene. That’s an excellent thing that all states should be doing. Unfortunately, that has not been happening … and I think that there’s been a very conspicuous silence on the part of many medical organizations, such as the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), that has not helped provide clarity to physicians.”

Contents of the Declaration

The main points of the declaration include:

• “We call on all hospitals and hospital systems to quickly and accurately educate their staff about their state laws to ensure that patients who present with a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy, complications following an induced abortion, or any other life-threatening emergency in pregnancy receive expeditious and life-saving care.”
• “We call on the abortion industry to stop the political fearmongering that is preventing women from seeking the immediate care they need.”
• “We call on all obstetricians to provide improved informed consent before prenatal testing. If a suspected fetal anomaly is found, the inherent value of the unborn child remains intact; thus, consultations from appropriate experts should be obtained.”
• “We call on the FDA to instate strict safety protocols on abortion drugs in order to ensure that women have adequate screening and ongoing care if they choose to take these high-risk drugs.”
• “We call on state and federal legislators and policymakers to enact policies that will ensure accurate and deidentified data collection on numbers of and complications related to induced abortions.”
• “We call on medical boards to hold accountable hospitals and medical professionals who fail to provide lifesaving care to women suffering from miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, complications following an induced abortion, or any other life-threatening emergency during pregnancy.”

ACOG Statement Regarding Ballot Initiatives

On Monday night, on the other side of the issue, ACOG released a statement regarding what it said was misinformation being spread related to state ballot initiatives on abortion.

“Recently, reports have emerged of government overreach, including manipulating the language used to describe ballot initiatives related to abortion, releasing inaccurate representations of the financial impact of the initiatives, questioning the integrity of the petitions that led to the initiatives, and trying to restrict the communications released by supporters of the initiatives,” ACOG President Stella Dantas, MD, said in the statement. “Government agencies should be committed to supporting the citizens who rely on them, not silencing their voices.”

In Florida last week, pro-choice advocates sued state health department officials after they sent letters to TV stations warning them not to air an ad in support of a ballot initiative to overturn a 6-week abortion ban and allow the procedure up to the point of fetal viability, or somewhere over 20 weeks.

“Meanwhile, anti-abortion activists continue to perpetuate baseless claims and abject misinformation about abortion care, the people who provide and need abortion care, and what each ballot initiative would accomplish,” Dantas said. “When it comes to an election that will determine whether people are able to access basic reproductive healthcare, it is essential that voters have access to the big picture: the proven facts about abortion care from reputable sources and the stories of those for whom it has been an essential part of their lives.”

“At the end of the day, releasing biased information about the ballot initiative or hindering people’s ability to learn about the human experience of abortion care should concern everyone,” she added. “We strongly oppose efforts to manipulate people at the ballot box, and we urge people to demand protections for themselves and their neighbors and friends whose lives are affected by a lack of access to lifesaving and health-saving reproductive healthcare.”

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