Hey Jane, an online abortion pill dispensary, is operating in the state of Ohio — an action which one pro-life group claims is breaking state law. Despite this, the Ohio Department of Health (DOH) is refusing to take action.
NPR reported that Ohio Right to Life filed a complaint against Hey Jane, alleging that by sending women abortion pills after only a phone consultation, Hey Jane is violating an Ohio law requiring an in-person consultation with a doctor before a woman can access abortion.
Section 2317.56 of Ohio code states, “At least twenty-four hours prior to the performance or inducement of the abortion, a physician meets with the pregnant woman in person in an individual, private setting and gives her an adequate opportunity to ask questions about the abortion that will be performed or induced.”
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“This website is putting Ohio women’s health at risk,” Emma Martinez, director of legislative affairs at Ohio Right to Life, told WCMH. “Hey Jane is breaking Ohio’s law and throwing women’s health to the side, only caring about their agenda to push abortions on women.”
Hey Jane co-founder Kiki Freeman was quick to attack Ohio Right to Life, rather than address actual concerns. “We are disturbed and disappointed by their intentional effort to misinform and mislead Ohioans about the legality of Hey Jane’s care in Ohio,” she said. She also said the goal is specifically to expand access to abortion, saying, “Our main goal in Ohio is to provide an additional option for people, including those who prefer not to travel to or wait for an appointment at in-person clinics, which are already overwhelmed with demand.”
The Ohio DOH responded by saying that if Hey Jane is violating the law in question, it would mean that the situation is a criminal issue, and therefore, it cannot take any action. Instead, it recommended filing a new complaint with the state medical board and the Ohio attorney general.
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The abortion pill regimen has become the most common abortion method and is committed using two separate drugs. The mother takes mifepristone first, which blocks progesterone and causes the lining of the woman’s uterus to break down, starving the baby of the nutrients she needs to survive. She then takes misoprostol, which triggers contractions and bleeding, and causes her to deliver the body of her child.
Photo: Reddit user brazen 177 (10-week aborted baby by abortion pill)
Chemical abortion is frequently described by abortion advocates as being “safer than Tylenol,” but it actually puts women at risk of many complications. Known risks include severe cramping, contractions, and heavy bleeding, as well as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches. Studies have shown that chemical abortion is four times more dangerous than a first-trimester surgical abortion. The FDA states that up to 4.6% of women who take the abortion pill require emergency care. The real number is likely to be higher, as women are encouraged to lie to emergency room doctors and say they are experiencing a miscarriage, as opposed to post-abortion complications. There is also no federal requirement to report abortion numbers or complications.
The abortion pill is more dangerous with the “no-test” protocol commonly used, including by companies like Hey Jane. Without an ultrasound or blood test, it is impossible to confirm the preborn child’s gestational age, and fails to rule out an extra-uterine pregnancy or any other contraindications that may put the mother at risk.
