Unheralded

RON SCHALOW: Abortion Pill Reversal Law A Scam of Misinformed Consent

  • “You create a law based on no science — absolutely zero science.” — Dr. Mitchell Creinin, OB-GYN; NPR March 22, 2019

I am not a woman, so I have no idea what it would feel like to even ponder the prospect of terminating a pregnancy.

And neither does North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, who disappoints me once per week and signed HB 1336 into law. I doubt he would be impressed with me, either.

Nor does Rep. Dan Johnston, R – Kathryn, who was the primary sponsor of the bill, in league with a passel of the Bastiat Caucus, which is long for RINOs, those far-right libertarians with hearts of gold.

Evidently, gaslighting women is freedom fun to this group, which supposedly hates government in ITS face.

Also in cahoots as co-sponsors were Rep. Rick Becker, Rep. Sebastion Ertelt, Rep. Jeff “Morals” Hoverson, Rep. Jim Kasper, Rep. David Monson, Rep. Bob Paulson, Rep. Kathy Skroch, Sen. Jordan Kannianen, Sen. Oley Larsen, Sen. Larry Luick and Sen. Janne Myrdal.

The District 3 team of Oley, Jeff and Bob, all signees, call themselves the “God Squad,” as subtlely as possible.

Should Oley be involved in decisions that are best made by women and their doctors?

Nearly a 100.9 percent of the GOP, who were silent when children were separated from their parents by Donald Trump, said, “Oh what the hell,” to forcing doctors to lie to their patients while also having the pleasure of jerking around pregnant women.

Both are shameful, but these Republican politicians also agree with Kevin Cramer that impoverished people are getting too much food, so I doubt that their morals and cognitive abilities are through the roof.

The lawmakers say that women need more informed consent, but their votes make sure that women are misinformed.

The “procedure” to reverse a chemically induced abortion if a woman hasn’t taken the second pill is a scam.

Maybe Johnston and the gang of 12 doesn’t see that, but Burgum does.

  • “Claims regarding abortion “reversal” treatment are not based on science and do not meet clinical standards.” — The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

So, there you have it. The stance of a zillion doctors.

Also according to the ACOG, “as many as half of women who take only mifepristone continue their pregnancies.” Don’t take the second pill of misoprostol, and the odds of a sustained pregnancy are about 50 percent, the same probability as the abortion “reversal” treatment.

So, what’s the point of the Abortion Pill Reversal Law?

It’s just another stone on the pile to constrain, control and intimidate women. It’s similar in stupidity to North Dakota’s requirement that a doctor has to be within an arm’s length to oversee the patient taking a pill!

Certain lawmakers just want to make the costs higher, which won’t hurt women of means, but possibly the ones who need bodyguards to get into the Red River Woman’s Clinic in Fargo.

I have a doctor who talks to me from Florida. She appears on a computer monitor and prescribes the appropriate pills. I pick them up at the pharmacy and I go home, without legislative ideologues in the car, and take the pills as directed. As a society, we’ve smoothed out most of our pill related issues, except for the flavors.

And conveniently, the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, backed by Heartbeat International, an anti-abortion rights group, is ready and waiting to serve you this second if you Google “abortion reversal” and call the number. It claims to have more than 500 clinicians “willing”and ready to prescribe progesterone without too many questions. I guess the other million doctors aren’t willing.

Arkansas, Idaho, South Dakota and Utah already have the same law, so this a concerted national effort to promote quackery.

They don’t tell you the price, because every case is different. Uh huh.

But here are some of the words they use.

“Ultrasound.” “Medical provider will prescribe progesterone.” “The treatment will usually continue through the first trimester of pregnancy.”

Those sound like expensive things to do, especially if doing nothing gives a woman the same results.

You can have a drink of water and the chances of the pregnancy continuing will be as good, or better. Or eat a Dilly Bar, or walk around the block. It doesn’t matter. If a woman changes her mind, she should forgo the second pill. That’s it.

The legislators behind this bill are the same guys who would throw a fit if they had to listen to three words of informed consent before being handed a new gun.

But most people in Fargo thought they had a handle on Doug Burgum. He owned a tech company infested with computer scientists. He hired diversely and without prejudice, which is precisely the opposite of the Trumpian nonsense he endorses at present.

What’s the governor’s excuse for ignoring the experts?

  • “The bottom line is we don’t change the way medicine is practiced because somebody has a new idea, you have to actually test that idea doing rigorous research and determining whether the treatment was safe and effective. And that’s the piece that was skipped here.” — Dr. Daniel Grossman, an OB-GYN, and director of Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health



2 thoughts on “RON SCHALOW: Abortion Pill Reversal Law A Scam of Misinformed Consent”

  • Diana Green March 25, 2019 at 8:46 pm

    Oh, but he’s the governor, so he doesn’t need an excuse does he?? LOL He’s not a woman. Not a clue. Look at the law just passed in Oregon the gives permission to stop feeding dementia patients. Just let them die, who cares, they don’t have any good use any more. And you think we’ve seen nuts with guns killing people? But that’s just what they want a reason to jump even further down our throats. Look look a crazy person. DANGER DANGER.
    How many Red Flags do we need to see before we wake up to the “disasters” being shown to us. How much of it is real stuff and how much is manufactured stuff to scare the bejesus out of us? FEAR that’s the tool of the DARK SIDE.

    Reply
  • susan gorr March 26, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    I can’t even grasp just how awful these legislators are. SO backward. So ridiculous. So sad.

    Reply

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