An Ohio law intended to make abortions safer has instead tripled the rate of complications.
The 2011 law requires providers to stick to US Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 guidelines for abortion by medication. These suggest specific timings and doses of drugs, but were drawn up in 2000. Research has since found different dosages and timing are safer 鈥� most Ohio doctors had already made those adjustments before the law was passed.
Analysing data from four Ohio clinics, at the University of California, San Francisco, and her team found that, after the law was passed, women undergoing abortion by medication were three times more likely to need additional treatment such as extra drugs or a blood transfusion. They were also nearly twice as likely to report a side effect 鈥� such as nausea or vomiting 鈥� during their abortion.
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鈥淭here鈥檚 a new wave of state-level restrictions on abortion that purport to improve health and safety, but what we鈥檙e finding is that they may end up harming women if these regulations are not based in scientific evidence,鈥� says Upadhyay.
Abortion by medication became less common after the law passed. But those opting for this kind of abortion paid more, and were more likely to require two or more follow-up visits.
Best evidence
鈥淭he FDA governs companies, it does not govern the practice of medicine,鈥� says at Columbia University, New York. 鈥淚t鈥檚 entirely expected that physicians will use medicines in different ways from what the company is putting in the label that鈥檚 approved. That happens all the time.鈥�
The mandate to follow the FDA guidelines was a political act, not a clinical one, according to Marge Berer of the International Campaign for Women鈥檚 Right to Safe Abortion. 鈥淪tate politicians are not the best people to make medical, clinical decisions about the best protocol for medications,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he FDA has to stay on top of this and find a way so that politics doesn鈥檛 interfere with their own guidelines.鈥�
The FDA has since updated its guidelines, meaning physicians in Ohio can now return to more up-to-date methods. But the law, and similar ones proposed in other states, mean these states could slip back again as science advances. 鈥淎s the regimen improves, women in these states won鈥檛 be able to avail themselves of the latest scientific evidence,鈥� says Upadhyay.
Journal reference: PLOS Medicine, DOI:
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