Randall K. O'Bannon of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) says what has been suggested is that women be prescribed the abortion pills at their annual medical checkups so they may store them at home to use when they believe they are pregnant. The proposal has the support of Rebecca Gomperts, an online peddler of the pills.
"It's incredibly irresponsible because just whoever could get a hold of them -- a minor, a child, or something like that -- and who knows what they do with those pills," O'Bannon poses.
He also points out that young teenagers who may not completely understand how chemical abortions work could have access to them. But regardless of the woman's age, the whole idea is dangerous.
"Maybe they don't even have a confirmation that they're pregnant. Maybe they have no idea that they might have an ectopic pregnancy, which these don't work for at all," the pro-lifer continues, pointing out that using abortion-causing drugs for an ectopic pregnancy could be fatal. "Maybe they don't realize that they're pregnant until a couple of months after conception."
Chemical abortions, he explains, are recommended only to the 10th week of pregnancy; they do not work after that.
"They may end up with serious bleeding problems. They may end up at the emergency room trying to deal with this," O'Bannon warns. "Who's going to be there to make sure that these women are going to be alright and they're not going to bleed to death?"
NRLC is against abortion, but the pro-life group especially advises any woman who considers the chemical abortion route to see a doctor and have a sonogram first.
