Myth vs. Fact: Correcting Misinformation on Maternal Medical Care

• Provisions like ultrasound requirements, hospital privileges, and waiting periods protect women who deserve thorough and quality care.

• For example, ultrasounds help verify the gestational age, which is critical to accurately assessing the risks associated with an abortion. The further along in the pregnancy a woman is the greater risk she faces from an abortion. There is no way to provide accurate informed consent for a woman if the gestational age of her pregnancy is not certain.

• Requiring abortion providers to have hospital privileges helps ensure that the patient is not abandoned by abortion providers afterwards in instances of complications and that the physician performing the abortion is, in fact, qualified to do so.

• Critics claim that waiting periods are coercion, yet data shows that women are often unsure about having an abortion and many receive little to no counseling beforehand. Any time a woman is making a significant life decision, she should be given adequate time to weigh that decision.

MYTH: Abortion does not have a long term impact on a woman’s reproductive health.

• The New York Times: “Only abortions that are associated with complications could potentially impact future fertility.”

• Planned Parenthood: “No. A safe, uncomplicated, legal abortion does not affect a woman’s ability to have children in the future.”

FACT: Abortions increase a woman’s risk of preterm birth in a future pregnancy.

• The Institute of Medicine lists surgical abortion as an immutable risk factor for preterm birth.

• Women face a 35% increased risk of preterm birth in a future pregnancy after one surgical abortion and an almost 90% increase in preterm birth risk after two abortions.

• The increased risk of future preterm birth for women after they have an abortion represents a clear long-term health risk. Mothers who deliver preterm babies are at a higher risk of medical complications later in life including cardiovascular disease and stroke.

MYTH: Chemical abortions are a safe and convenient option for women.

• The New York Times: “Growing evidence from overseas suggests that abortion pills are safe even among women who do not have a doctor to advise them.”

• Everyday Health: “Abortion Pills Are Safe Without In-Person Exams”

• Society of Family Planning: “Recent data demonstrate that people can safely and effectively self-manage their abortions with medications.”

FACT: The dangerous push in recent years to dispense abortion pills through the mail or without a doctor’s visit presents a grave threat to women’s health.

• Chemical abortions can now occur without an in-person visit with a physician or an ultrasound to examine for health concerns. This prevents a doctor from being able to determine how far along the pregnancy is or rule out a dangerous ectopic pregnancy. It also prevents adequate screening for coercion or intimate partner violence, both of which are common in women seeking abortions.

• Symptoms of a rupturing ectopic pregnancy mimic symptoms from a chemical abortion. If this causes a delay in diagnosis of even a few hours, it can be catastrophic.

MYTH: Restricting access to abortion will have a negative impact on women’s mental health.