Columbus — In an effort to stigmatize people seeking abortion care and the medical professionals who provide that care, Senator Stephen Huffman has introduced Senate Bill 304.
Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “This is part of an ongoing campaign based on fear and misinformation to smear abortion providers and frighten patients. An increasing number of patients are turning to medication abortion care. That is why anti-abortion organizations and the politicians in their pockets are desperate to dissuade patients from choosing this safe, effective, and private abortion method.
“It is outrageous that Ohio politicians like Governor Mike DeWine and Senator Steven Huffman use their offices to spread medically inaccurate lies. Regardless of their wild claims, the fact is that 20 years of data clearly shows that medication abortion is safe and effective, including annual reports produced by the Ohio Department of Health. The use of mifepristone and misoprostol to induce abortion has a complication rate lower than child birth1, and on par with colonoscopies2.”
A note on language: Mifepristone is a form of medication abortion. The biased use of the phrase “chemical abortion” by individuals and organizations that oppose abortion access is inappropriate and intended to spread uncertainty around a safe, FDA-approved pharmaceutical.
Annual Induced Abortions in Ohio reports are available at: https://odh.ohio.gov/explore-data-and-stats/published-reports/data-and-stats-abortion-reports
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1The comparative safety of legal induced abortion and childbirth in the United States:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22270271/
2Major Complication Rate After Abortion Is Extremely Low, Study Shows:
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2014/12/121781/major-complication-rate-after-abortion-extremely-low-study-shows