Each week AFL posts an Anglicans in Action video, which gives practical suggestions, resources, and ideas for life-ministry. This week’s focus is RU-486 Chemical Abortion education. You can see all the Anglicans in Action videos on our YouTube Channel.
This week’s action idea is to understand and educate others about a drug known as RU-486. If you’ve never heard of RU-486, it’s actually another name for the chemical abortion pill. We’re urging everyone to know the details of this drug in an effort to save the lives of unborn children and save women who are misinformed about what the abortion pill does. The reality is that many women will experience significant and long-lasting trauma from the effects of a chemical abortion procedure because they were never told the truth about what the process entails. It shocks me that Planned Parenthood and the rest of the abortion industry would still market something as lethal as the abortion pill as “safe,” but that’s what they’re doing, so it’s time that we as the pro-life community begin to communicate the truth!
The chemical abortion method is a two-step process – the drugs involved are better known as RU-486 (mifepristone) and Cytotec (misoprostol). First, mifepristone kills the tiny developing baby and then misoprostol causes uterine cramping to expel the remains of the child after the baby’s heart has stopped. The FDA has expanded approval of the two-drug approach through the tenth week of pregnancy. The scary reality is that the chemical abortion method is not safe or easy, despite gaining FDA approval. 24 women have died from using the chemical abortion pill.
The film Unplanned actually goes into great detail, showinghow traumatizing it is for women to experience this type of abortion. Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood director turned pro-life advocate that the movie centers around, actually says that after she experienced a chemical abortion procedure herself, that she would actively try and convince women not to use it because she knew how truly traumatizing it was.
In a chemical abortion, it is common for a woman to experience severe cramping, contractions, and bleeding to expel the baby. These symptoms can last from several hours to several days and they can be very intense and painful. Many women also experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headache. According to the Guttmacher Institute, medication abortions accounted for 31 percent of all nonhospital abortions in 2014, and for 45 percent of abortions before nine weeks’ gestation.
Life Issues Institute produced a short documentary that is very informative about RU-486, and you can find it by clicking on the link in our description! It’s a great tool to educate a group of pro-life advocates with or to post on your social media accounts to raise awareness about the dangers of RU-486.
In conclusion, RU-486 isn’t simple OR convenient. In fact, TIME magazine has called “a painful, messy, and protracted process.” At a minimum, RU-486 procedures involved two drugs and three trips to the doctor’s office over a two-week period. For 4-6% of women, the pills don’t work, making them return for surgical abortions.
RU-486 is clearly dangerous – BUT there is good news! The pill is reversible if a woman’s mind is changed within 24 hours of taking the first pill. For more information, you can visit abortionpillreversal.com or call 877-558-0333. It’s a great idea to have this website and phone number handy as a reference. You never know when you may need it, and the website is equipped with a live chat feature that pops up for instant help. The helpline will connect a woman with a medical professional who can guide them toward reversing the effects of the abortion pill and provide support in doing so every step of the way.
I’m so thankful for the hope this offers women and for the lives of children that have already been saved!
