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When patients induce abortions at home, they may have questions for doctors. : NPR


Plan C suggests a combination pack of mifepristone and misoprostol tablets, two medicines used together, also known as the abortion pill.

ELISA WELLS / PLAN C / AFP via Getty Images


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ELISA WELLS / PLAN C / AFP via Getty Images


Plan C suggests a combination pack of mifepristone and misoprostol tablets, two medicines used together, also known as the abortion pill.

ELISA WELLS / PLAN C / AFP via Getty Images

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As abortion becomes more difficult — or inaccessible — in many states, some patients are buying drugs online and self-managing the process. That could create new questions for healthcare providers about how to protect their patients – and themselves – if there are questions or complications.

Not like previous years Roe v. Wade In 1973, when women sometimes died seeking unsafe and illegal abortions, Dr. Nisha Verma said patients now have more options.

“We know that people can safety management Verma said they would self-medicate when they had the information and support they needed.

Verma, an abortion and obstetrics and gynecology provider, says years of research show abortion pill Safe if used correctly. Even so, she says, some patients will be desperate enough to try riskier methods, and others will face the usual questions or complications that require medical assistance.

“That hasn’t completely gone away,” she said. “We need to be aware of that and be able to provide compassionate, non-judgmental care to those present in the formal health system after self-administration in any of those ways. .”

Farah Diaz-Tello, senior counsel for the legal advocacy group If/When/How, said people with questions or concerns about symptoms such as heavy bleeding should not hesitate to seek medical help. economic.

“Our major concern is that even if there is no legal basis for them to be criminalized, the fear of criminalization and entanglement in the legal system will cause them to leave the medical facility if they need,” she said.

At least for now, Diaz-Tello says that most abortion laws in the United States do not directly punish patients who seek or self-destruct. But that could change amid a rapidly changing legal landscape, and she says some patients may fear aggressive prosecutors.

In one new paper Co-author of the Family Planning Association, Verma offers guidance for healthcare professionals who may be treating such patients. She says healthcare workers should be careful about the information they record – both to protect patients and themselves.

For example, she says, the treatment for a patient with heavy bleeding is generally the same whether due to a miscarriage or the abortion pill – so it may not be necessary to share that information, especially especially in states with restrictive laws. Verma advises doctors to get legal advice on how they can advise their patients about abortion, including self-management options.

Dr. Christina Francis, of the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists & Life Professionals, said she do not support criminal penalties for patients who self-medicate, but she hopes to see more state legislators introduce legislation aimed at people who distribute illegal abortion pills.

Francis said: “Whoever I feel guilty is going to be the one to give these pills to these women.

Republican lawmakers in many states are having those discussions now. Some opponents of abortion rights have suggested using the threat of coercion or civil prosecution to discourage people from helping them get an abortion. across state linesor distribute abortion pills to people in states with a ban on abortion.



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