Yesterday we mentioned the new bombshell report by EPPC's Ryan T. Anderson and Jamie Byran Hall that finds that the so-called "abortion pill" (mifepristone) is much more dangerous for women than commonly thought, or stated by its makers.

The researchers had access to a database of all-payer insurance claims that includes 865,727 prescribed mifepristone abortions from 2017 to 2023, in other words a robust database of real-world events.

The study found that 10.93% of women experienced serious adverse events, such as sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or other life-threatening issues, within 45 days of the abortion. This figure starkly contrasts with the "less than 0.5 percent" rate of serious adverse events reported in the clinical trials cited on the drug label. The authors argue that the real-world rate of such events is at least 22 times higher than what is stated in the clinical trials.

The report identifies several policy implications, primarily focusing on the FDA's regulation of mifepristone. It urges the FDA to reinstate the original patient safety protocols that were in place when the drug was first approved. These protocols included requiring at least three in-person office visits, that the drug be prescribed only by physicians, that it be administered in a clinic, medical office, or hospital under physician supervision, and that physicians be able to provide surgical intervention if necessary. The authors believe that reinstating these protocols would likely reduce harm to women and improve the monitoring of the drug's safety.

The authors detail how the FDA's initial safeguards for mifepristone have been weakened over time, particularly during the Obama and Biden administrations. They highlight that the current Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS), in effect since 2023, allows for a single telehealth visit with any approved healthcare provider, self-administration of the drugs obtained from a mail-order pharmacy, and the prescriber is not required to report any adverse events unless a patient dies. These changes, the report argues, have increased access to chemical abortion but have also increased risks to women's health.

The study also addresses the increasing market share of chemical abortion in the United States. It notes that chemical abortions, primarily using mifepristone and misoprostol, now account for roughly two-thirds of all abortions in the country. With this rise in chemical abortions, the authors emphasize the growing importance of understanding the associated risks and harms to women.

In short, the report shows that mifepristone abortion, as currently practiced in the US, is significantly more dangerous to women than indicated on the FDA-approved drug label. The authors call for the FDA to reinstate earlier, more robust patient safety protocols, mandate full reporting of side effects, further investigate the harm caused by the drug, and reconsider its approval based on objective safety criteria. Women deserve better than this

Policy News You Need To Know

#Nuclear #Energy — According to a recent report, 60% of staff at the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office are set to take the Trump Administration's buyout and leave. Nuclear advocates, in particular, are up in arms, and understandably so. Nuclear reactors require tremendous capex which can require a longer time horizon than private sector lenders can have. It's hard to imagine a nuclear renaissance in the US without some form of government-backed loans.

#Tariffs #Trade — The International Longshore & Warehouse Union has come out with a statement opposing the Trump Administration's tariffs. With the Democrat stalwarts in the UAW endorsing them, watching union response to these tariffs, in the broader context of the realignment of the GOP as the "party of the working class," has been an interesting subplot.

#Tariffs #Trade — Speaking of, Punchbowl reported that Amazon is planning on displaying on its website how much of an item's cost is made up of tariffs. However, they later denied the report.

#FamilyPolicy — Very interesting new report from the great guys at the Institute for Family Studies on the state of families in working class America: "'Good job' characteristics explain nearly 80% of the difference in marriage rates between working-class and college-educated men," according to their data. "The findings strongly suggest that the nature and quality of work are closely tied to class-based differences in marriage patterns in the United States."

#Space #Telecoms — Brendan Carr's FCC has initiated a review to to update 1990s spectrum-sharing rules for satellites, aiming to boost innovation in space-based internet like Starlink and AST SpaceMobile, which could improve connectivity in rural areas. Spectrum sharing governs how satellite systems use radio frequencies without interference; outdated rules limit modern satellite capabilities, such as low-latency, high-speed broadband, which 5G networks rely on for global coverage, per FCC’s 2023 spectrum policy updates.

#DEI — It turns out that, tragically, the suspicions of many after the DC helicopter crash were correct. According to the New York Times, the female pilot who was flying the helicopter was given multiple warnings and was directly told by her male copilot to turn in the opposite direction of the passenger jet to avoid the collision, but she ignored the warnings and flew straight into the plane. DEI kills.

#Immigration — Harrowing report in the Times of India: Indians are "abandoning" their children at US borders; "families lacking valid visas are 'strategically' leaving minors at border crossings, alone and only with a chit, hoping they can become their ticket to the American dream." Horrifying. And to think some people defend this system on humanitarian grounds.

#Drugs #LawAndOrder — At City Journal, Adam Zivo runs the numbers on Canada's "harm reduction" drug policies and finds that, surprise surprise, it's a disaster. "Most recently, a study published in JAMA Health Forum found that, between 2020 and 2022, British Columbia’s safer-supply policy was associated with a 33 percent increase in opioid hospitalizations and no change to drug-related mortality."