Ohio abortion pill restriction had no clear safety benefits, study finds

Number and effectiveness of abortions by medication has plummeted
since state limited use of mifepristone, with supporters citing health
concerns

Molly Redden in New York
Tuesday 30 August 2016 19.14 BST

A 2011 Ohio abortion restriction which supporters touted as a health measure had no perceptible benefits for women’s safety and drastically reduced the number and effectiveness of abortions by medication, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine.

The study scrutinized the impact of requirements for abortion providers to strictly adhere to the Food and Drug Administration’s labelling for mifepristone, commonly known as the abortion pill. In recent years, several conservative states have enacted such requirements, citing women’s safety.

But mainstream medical groups say the evidence shows the FDA guidelines are outdated and recommend abortion providers prescribe the pills according to the latest evidence. The old regimen is more costly, less effective, and more cumbersome for patients. And abortion rights advocates have argued that laws like Ohio’s are thinly veiled attempts to limit an easy method of abortion.

Lending some credence to their arguments, the new study found that the number of women having abortions by using medication cratered after the law took effect.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]