The Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act is a current bill in Missouri seeking to place tight restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs; meaning it could be tougher to obtain a medically induced abortion in Missouri.
The bill is sponsored by Rep. Andrew Koenig, R-District 88, and is aimed at further restricting the use of RU-486 and other abortion-inducing drugs. Currently, there is little specificity regarding the administering of abortion-inducing drugs in Missouri, with the exception that a physician administers it.
RU-486 is a drug used in combination with Misoprostol and when taken two days apart, they block progesterone, which is vital to pregnancy. This causes the woman’s body to expel the embryo, effectively terminating the pregnancy without a surgical procedure, according to the FDA.
The restrictions will ensure women are properly taken care of in a controlled, clinical environment and will lead to an overall reduction in abortions across Missouri, Koenig said.
“RU-486 or any other abortion-inducing drug can only be administered in a hospital or abortion facility… the drug can only be administered by the prescribing physician,” the bill states.
In some countries, such as France, RU-486 is available at pharmacies with a prescription, and a woman self-administers the pills at home. In the United States, the pills must be administered at a medical facility in the presence of a licensed physician, according to the FDA.
This ensures that any unanticipated side effects are reported and it ensures women are taking correct dosages and at the correct times, Koenig said. Additionally, he said the bill would require more information be given to patients so individuals can make more informed decisions.
These restrictions are why some opponents to the bill think it places too many further restrictions on women when they already have to see a licensed physician to obtain the drug, according to a Planned Parenthood news release.
“At a time when the Missouri legislature should be focusing on creating jobs and fixing the economy, it is troublesome to find the legislature, once again, focused on restricting access to basic reproductive health care for women,” Planned Parenthood stated in a news release. “HB 1274 places such medically unnecessary and burdensome requirements on medical abortion as to virtually prohibit access in Missouri—clearly the intent of the legislation.”
Missouri Right to Life, a self-described non-partisan organization in Missouri fights to advance a general belief that all human life is sacred, including unborn life, according to its mission statement.
“Missouri legislators have demonstrated strong support through the years for policies that protect human life,” MRL legislative liaison Susan Klein said. “Women should be protected from the abuses in the abortion industry by those who would profit from abortion. Missouri Right to Life therefore strongly supports HB 1274 and urges its approval by this committee.”
The bill, HB 1274, has passed in the initial committee vote and is proceeding through the normal legislative process with an anticipated enactment date of August should it pass.