Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) is pushing telemed abortion on its website, claiming that DIY abortions are just as safe as in-person abortion, despite evidence to the contrary. “Using telehealth, you can receive counseling, guidance, and prescriptions for abortion medications without having to visit a health center in person,” the website reads (emphasis added). “Some people might question the safety and reliability of telehealth abortion due to misconceptions about the process, leading to widespread misinformation.”
Though PPSNE says it is “Mythbusting Telehealth Abortion,” it’s actually doing the opposite with regard to certain claims.
1. Is telehealth abortion just as safe as “in-person care”?
While PPSNE claims that telemed abortion is just as “safe” as “in-person care,” it does not offer any evidence for this.
“At PPSN, we provide the same high-quality care through telehealth as we do in person,” PPSN states. “With decades of experience as the largest provider of abortion care in Connecticut and Rhode Island, we ensure that your safety is always the top priority.”
Yet, mifepristone, the first of the two drugs in the abortion pill regimen, comes with serious warnings. Live Action News has previously documented that mifepristone’s 2023 label still contains a black box warning for sepsis, bleeding, and other life-threatening risks.
The abortion pill has been found to be four times more dangerous for women than a first-trimester surgical abortion.
In addition, the FDA insert for the drug indicates that 2.9% to 4.6% of women who take the abortion pill are likely to end up in the emergency room. Based on Guttmacher’s most recent statistics, this means that up to 30,000 or more women are likely to visit an emergency department every single year after taking the abortion pill.
Alarmingly, for women taking the abortion pill at home, alone, that risk could be even greater. A previously-documented Gynuity Health Projects (GHP) telabortion study found that six percent (6%) of participants faced complications from the abortion pill that required a visit to an ER or urgent care. Two similar studies support this finding. In addition, the FDA’s medication guide admits that up to seven percent (7%) of women who take mifepristone are likely to need a follow-up surgery “to stop bleeding” or to complete a failed chemical (abortion pill) abortion.
A “no-test” protocol often utilized by purveyors of abortion doesn’t even require women to have an ultrasound to accurately determine gestational age, or any other testing to rule out ectopic pregnancy or other risk factors before receiving the abortion pill. This puts women at greater risk; undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy could be fatal for the mother, and a failure to accurately assess gestational age could result in a higher chance of a failed or incomplete abortion (a potential infection risk), and more.
2. Is safety really the “top priority” at PPSNE?
PPSNE claims, “With decades of experience as the largest provider of abortion care in Connecticut and Rhode Island, we ensure that your safety is always the top priority.” Yet this affiliate has not proven itself to be safe, as lawsuits filed by former patients have exposed that the quality of care that PPSNE claims to provide is anything but top-notch.
One lawsuit filed against PPSNE, Inc. alleged that a midwife at one of its facilities made such a serious error that a 22-week-old preborn baby boy died after staff told the pregnant woman that she had miscarried at six weeks — then gave her the abortion pill.
Another lawsuit against PPSNE alleged that it failed to notice a client was already 14 weeks pregnant before staff inserted an IUD; a third lawsuit alleges that a PPSNE abortionist left a woman permanently injured during a D&C abortion in which her uterus and bowel were perforated. The patient required an emergency hysterectomy, bowel resection, and removal of an ovary and fallopian tube.
3. Is PPSNE really ‘a supportive community’?
PPSNE says it is ‘a supportive community’ and that women will “never have to navigate your care alone.’ Google Reviews, however, reveal that patients do not always feel that sense of trust at PPSNE facilities.
“I brought my daughter in for birth control[.] I specifically told the lady that I would like for her to be placed [on] the pill[.] Well the doctor ended up talking her in to have an insert put [which] made me very upset because the side effects are horrible[.] I will have to look for another clinic,” said one frustrated mother.
Earlier this year, TIME exposed the new trend of ‘soft sterilization‘ in which certain women are pressured to have IUDs inserted as a form of population control.
A patient named Skylar wrote, “[W]hen I was 17, I came here for a surgical abortion. They lied to me. They said they’d give me ‘twilight sedation’, but they gave me NOTHING. I was completely LUICD during my procedure. I laid on the table while 4 nurses held me down and the (bald female) doctor performed the procedure as I screamed and squirmed. Instead of stopping to check on me, they held me down and held my legs open. I’m 21 now and luckily for them, the statutes of limitations for a lawsuit has passed so I unfortunately can’t really sue, otherwise I’d absolutely sue the life out of them and own this clinic[;] I still suffer from PTSD to this day and I’m in therapy for it.”
This doesn’t sound like a “supportive community” for women.
4. Is PPSNE’s push for telemed abortions really about “convenience and discretion” for women?
PPSNE markets the abortion pill as “a great way to increase convenience and discretion without having to sacrifice the level of care you’ve come to know and love…” In reality, it is an attempt to reach “individuals facing barriers” such as those with a lower income — and at very little cost to PPSNE itself. Women might not have a reliable care to make it to their scheduled abortion on time, so PPSNE mails them the abortion pill instead — to ensure it gets paid and a baby dies.
And if a woman is injured, who will take care of her? Most likely, emergency room or urgent care physicians — not PPSNE. The need to deal with negative repercussions or injuries has been offloaded to the woman and to other medical facilities.
Tell President Trump, RFK, Jr., Elon, and Vivek: Stop killing America’s future.
Defund Planned Parenthood NOW!
