INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -
Indiana lawmakers are considering a bill that would require a woman to be
informed she could stop a drug-induced abortion midway through the procedure
and continue with her pregnancy.
Despite
disagreement over whether the so-called abortion reversal procedure has been
sufficiently vetted or scientifically proven to work, proponents say women
should be made aware that it’s an option before taking the second of two
abortion-inducing drugs that are taken within a few days of each other.
Anti-abortion activists pushing the bill say the process can be halted even
after a woman takes the first drug if she is given the hormone progesterone.
Opponents say the
approach is unfounded and that informing a patient about an unproven
treatment is irresponsible.
Republican Rep. Ron
Bacon’s bill is among the first proposed abortion measures to get a
committee hearing this session. His amended proposal would require the State
Health Department to create a form to help point pregnant women toward more
information on the potential to stop their abortion.
Though it was held
in committee for a vote next week, Bacon said he believes testimony from
supporters proved there was no reason not to inform women of the potential
method, even if it isn’t guaranteed.
“There’s no perfect
science,” Bacon said. “To say this is perfect - no, we never said that. We
said that we have a chance.”
Advocates of the
approach, particularly the Abortion Pill Reversal organization, say they’ve
seen success when doctors administer progesterone after a woman has taken
the first of two medications needed to complete the medication procedure.
They cite a 2012 case report in which four of six women successfully carried
their pregnancies to term after going through this procedure and say an
upcoming report will describe 300 successful cases.
Doctors who oppose
the measure testified Wednesday that a scientific trial would require a
larger sample size and a comparator, such as a placebo, to determine if
there is a benefit to the treatment. To approve a new standard of practice,
such a trial would need to be reproducible and have oversight.
“I am deeply
committed to making sure that the options we are giving women are safe and
effective,” said Brownsyne Tucker Edmonds. “Real trials, real numbers make
that determination.”
The American
College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has stated that claims about
“abortion reversals” aren’t supported by scientific evidence. Available
research seems to indicate that when a woman takes the first pill and then
changes her mind, “doing nothing and waiting to see what happens is just as
effective as intervening with a course of progesterone,” they wrote in a
fact sheet on the subject.
An Arizona law that
required doctors to inform women of the potential ability of qualified
medical professionals to “reverse a medication abortion” was challenged in
court and later repealed by the Legislature. At least two states have passed
similar laws.
Indiana’s measure
also includes several approved amendments addressing other areas of abortion
law, including codifying the information abortion providers send to the
state health department and requiring clinics to receive sex trafficking
training. An amendment that has yet to be voted on would require reports on
patients who suffer complications from abortion procedures.