A recent study has revealed that doubling the dose of the popular morning-after pill, Ella, can mimic the effects of mifepristone, a common abortion drug.
The New England Journal of Medicine published their findings on January 23, causing an uproar from both sides of the abortion issue. The study’s lead author, Dr. Beverly Winikoff, explained to The New York Times that after Roe v. Wade was overturned, she began exploring alternatives to the abortion pill, concerned about its potential legal restrictions.
“I was thinking, there’s maybe something else we can do,” Dr. Winikoff said. “And this one is already on the market.”
Her investigation focused on ulipristal acetate, the active ingredient in Ella, which shares a chemical structure similar to that of mifepristone.
The study involved 133 women up to nine weeks pregnant. Each was given a double dose of Ella’s active ingredient, followed by misoprostol, the second drug typically used in chemical abortions. The results were horrific: 129 of the precious preborn babies were killed, confirming that doubling the dosage of Ella can induce an abortion.
Anti-lifers have been nervous as to what the repercussions of this study will be. A New York Times journalist predicted that the research could “stoke attempts to crack down on emergency contraception and sow confusion that could bolster the larger anti-abortion strategy.”
The research is clear: there’s no room to “sow confusion” when the truth is finally being revealed. Emergency contraception with ulipristal acetate as a key ingredient can be used for an abortion.
Pro-Life experts were not surprised by these results. Dr. Donna Harrison, research director for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, highlighted the similarities between the two drugs.
“After years of denying ulipristal acetate’s potential to end the life of an embryo, abortion advocates are now turning to it as a substitute for mifepristone,” Dr. Harrison explained. “The reason is simple: Ulipristal and mifepristone function in the same way.”
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The FDA has been urged to take this lethal pill off the shelves, as this could cause a rise in unsupervised abortions. However, anti-Life doctors have seen this as a win. “The more uses we have for these medications, the harder it will be for people to take them away,” said Dr. Paul Blumenthal, a retired professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University, who also served in the advisory group for the study.
Without proper restrictions, women could easily order two doses of Ella online, even through retailers like Amazon, and have these deadly pills delivered right to their doorstep—pills that can end the life of their baby in the womb by cutting off vital nutrients. Although Ella requires a prescription, the rise of telehealth services has made it much easier to obtain multiple prescriptions without in-person doctor visits.
Anti-Life activists and doctors have expressed their excitement about having an alternative to mifepristone if it is ever banned. Join us in praying that the FDA will take action to address this issue and that women will be protected from the dangerous abortion drugs that harm women and kill preborn babies.
In the meantime, Texas lawmakers must strengthen our Pro-Life protections to hold accountable those who commit and promote any abortion-inducing drugs in the lone star state.
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