A bill that aims to crack down on out-of-state providers mailing abortion pills to Iowans advanced through a Senate subcommittee on Monday.
Abortion pills would have to be dispensed directly to a patient in a health care setting, according to the bill. A provider who violates that could be sued by the person who had a medication abortion, the father of their child, or an immediate family member.
Maggie DeWitte is executive director of Pulse Life Advocates and supports the bill.
“This drug has virtually no restrictions and can be shipped through the mail directly to the woman’s home with no oversight or physical examination from a doctor. This bill would restore some of the initial safeguards, such as an in-person physical examination by a physician," De Witte said.
But groups representing Iowa doctors say the bill would only put in-state providers at risk and could further limit access to legal, in-person medication abortions.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists opposes the bill, saying it would further limit access to in-person, legal abortions. Doctor Francesca Turner said she’s also concerned about a provision requiring doctors to tell patients that a medication abortion can be reversed.
"Medication abortion reversal is not supported by medical evidence and raises significant safety concerns…This bill would force physicians to offer information that is not evidence-based and conflicts with accepted medical standards," Turner said.
Anti-abortion groups say some medication abortions have been reversed, and patients should be informed of all their options and all the risks associated with abortion pills.
