The DM Register Admits Telemed Abortions Illegal But. . . .

their solution puts women even more at risk. which is no surprize given that they buy into the "culture of death" view that abortion is a sacrament. Thus it is OK to not only sacrifice the unborn children, but women as well.

This OpEd piece makes it sound like mifepristone is as safe as an aspirin. It fails to mention the huge dangers of the drug as well as the fact that National Institute of Health webpage with the protocols says that mifepristone "should be taken only in a clinic, medical office, or hospital under the supervision of a qualified doctor". Not a clinician or nurse practicioner. & definitely not via remote control like telemed abortions are being done in Iowa.

Then there is the requirements for the follow-up drug, misoprostol, that is taken a couple days later. Here is what the NIH says about that: " Two days later you must go back to your doctor. (emphasis mine) If your doctor is not certain that your pregnancy has ended, you will take two tablets of another medication called misoprostol." The way Planned Parenthood is currently dispensing the drug, giving it to the woman & not having her come back, but taking it at home & not in the presence of the doctor.

Finally they NIH page says " Fourteen days after taking mifepristone, you must go back to your doctor for an exam or ultrasound to make sure that the pregnancy has ended. " This is another thing PP isn't emphasising or apparently requiring.

Then there are 2 other things the NIH has on its website: "Your doctor will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet (Medication Guide) to read before you begin treatment with mifepristone. You will also need to sign a patient agreement before taking mifepristone." From everything that I have read on how PP is doing things, they are not giving out the patient info sheet that is on the NIH page or requiring the women to sign an agreement that states they are aware of all the dangers mentioned etc.

Another thing that the doctor & patient are supposed to do that PP is apparently not doing is deciding "whom to call and what to do in case of an emergency after taking mifepristone."

& then there is the huge reason the FDA requires all these things mentioned by the NIH because of 676 "adverse events". Those included " 72 women who bled so much they required transfusions, 17 who experienced ectopic pregnancies, and seven who dealt with serious bacterial infections. 3 of those women died two from infections, one from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy (many more have died since). In 1988 it was reported that PP's use of the drug resulted in 8 deaths. & those were NOT telemed abortions. The latest count I found was 29 deaths as of a year ago. Notice that the DM Register takes PPh's claim of no problems at face value, despite all the problems elsewhere.

But the DM Register ignores all this. Would they have the same suggestion for another dangerous drug, say Thalidomide that is still being used to treat certain conditions.

Note the lie about how this was expanding "access to legal health services in rural Iowa". Check the locations where PPH sites are. PPH started offering telemed abortions in Sioux City a community of over 82,000 people & metro area of over 144,000. & yes 4 of the PPH clinics are in small towns, but none of them are open 5 days a week. PPECI recently closed its Montecello office that they opened 2 years earlier claiming it was needed for greater rural Iowa access. their reason, women were driving to the CR or DBQ offices. In this day & age, there are very few if any, places in Iowa that do not have access to health care or a means to get to it.

& another interesting fact is that the Register admits that abortion is considered health care. Remember that the next time you hear PP claim that the term "reproductive health care" is not code for abortion.

As for the quote from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services they use, well, the Centers are speaking in general & definitely not recommending it be used in this way. But what is a half truth or misdirection when it will accomplish their goal of misleading the people reasding the piece?

It is clear that the Register, like its pro-abort buddies doesn't care about the safety of women. They just care about spreading the "culture of death" & its most important sacrament, abortion. & this OpEd is just 1 more proof of that. The fact that they are willing to lie, misdirect, etc, to do so is another proof of the fact that the "father of lies" is behind this as well.

Telemedicine should help expand care, not limit choice

Some anti-choice groups will try anything to prevent women from having access to abortions. The latest attempt: Attacking the use of telemedicine to dispense mifepristone (called RU-486 when it was being developed), a prescription drug that induces abortion. A coalition of groups, including Operation Rescue and Iowans for Life, has complained to the Iowa Board of Medicine that the practice violates medical standards in Iowa and is a health threat to women.
Telemedicine, which allows real-time, two-way communication between doctors and patients, is widely used to give patients access to health services they wouldn't have otherwise. Mental health patients can see a psychiatrist using videoconferencing. Radiologists can read test results and consult with patients.
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland has used telemedicine as it was intended: to expand access to legal health services in rural Iowa. The challenge of that smart approach should prompt state leaders to update laws and policies - to give Iowans increased access to health care, including abortion, through the use of technology.
Now it's up to Iowa leaders to:
- Re-evaluate outdated abortion laws in this state.
More women are seeking to terminate pregnancies using medication rather than surgery because it's less intrusive and more private. Planned Parenthood says that of the 1,500 women who have used telemedicine for abortions over the past two years, none has reported complications.
The law requiring physicians to perform abortions made sense when all abortions were surgical procedures. But that requirement is called into question now that women are increasingly choosing to take a drug.
Other medical professionals, including nurse practitioners, can prescribe some drugs in Iowa. Lawmakers should consider letting them prescribe mifepristone as well. That would increase access to abortion for women in rural areas.
- Update policies to accommodate the use of new technology.
Mark Bowden, executive director of the Iowa Board of Medicine, has announced the creation of an ad hoc committee to review telemedicine policies in this state, which have not been updated since the mid-1990s. The committee was not prompted by the complaint from anti-choice groups or any other investigation.
Rather, the board - like all such state boards across the country - understands policies must be reviewed to ensure technology is being used appropriately and safely.
Ultimately, Iowa should do all it can to foster the use of technology to expand communication between doctors and patients. It increases Iowans' access to health professionals, particularly in rural areas.
"Telemedicine is viewed as a cost- effective alternative to the more traditional face-to-face way of providing medical care," according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The federal agency encourages states to find ways to pay for services that "incorporate telemedicine technology" for Medicaid patients.
Unfortunately, advances in technology were brought into question by a group whose only agenda is to take a step backward when it comes to women's reproductive rights. Iowa should take a step forward in fostering 21st century medicine - including using it to give women access to a legal medical procedure.