Dear editor:
Recently, Planned Parenthood successfully sued to have "The Abortion-Inducing Drugs Safety Act 577" temporarily blocked from being implemented in Arkansas on Jan. 1, 2016. This act was passed during the last legislative session. Planned Parenthood's reason, according to Monday's The Sentinel-Record, was that the law's requirements would have effectively ended access to the abortion pill in Arkansas due to their inability to comply with the law. This may be factual, but disregards the well-thought-out reasoning behind Act 577.
I testified as an expert witness for the Act in March 2015 using my medical oncology experience of 30 years concerning potentially life-threatening drugs and drug protocols. In essence I said:
Abortion in Arkansas and the United States is legal but not always 100 percent safe. Any legislation that potentially increases the safety of an abortion should therefore be implemented.
After reading HB1394 (now Act 577), I am very pleased that in plain English, it details the proper procedure or protocol for administering RU-486 to cause an abortion. This is known as the Miferex regimen or protocol and was approved by the Federal Drug Administration.
Simply stated, on Day 1, the woman must meet personally with a physician who informs her of the benefits and risks of abortion and she signs an agreement acknowledging her consent. That same day, the physician ascertains that the women is within 49 days of conception by physically examining her and also makes sure her pregnancy is not ectopic or tubal and that it is intrauterine. All this is to increase her probability of safely undergoing an abortion. He then is present when the three tablets of mifepristone (Miferex) are swallowed orally.
On Day 3, if the abortion or expulsion of the fetus has not already occurred, at the physician's office, two tablets of misoprostol are taken to cause the abortion.
The bill wisely requires that the prescribing physician or another qualified physician with local hospital admitting privileges be available in case of a complication (such as hemorrhaging). This abortion pill is not always safe and the FDA denied over-the-counter usage.
Finally, on Day 14, the patient is to return to the physician's office for a follow-up visit to confirm that a complete termination of the pregnancy has occurred.
As doctors and as legislatures, our primary concern must be for the health and safety of the pregnant women as she undergoes an abortion with RU-486. This bill, HB1394 (now Act 577), using of the FDA-approved Miferex regimen or protocol, assures the safest possible outcome.
So, that is the why the bill passed. This was first and foremost a safety issue, not anti-abortion. Just as the Arkansas State Medical Board licenses those who can perform surgical abortions and Arkansas ensures the quality of the surgical clinic to perform abortions for the patient's safety, the exact same safety reasoning must apply to those who give the drugs and how the protocol is administered. It's not anti-pro-choice; it's first pro-women's-safety. I can't understand on what legal basis this law has been stayed until March.
Jack Sternberg, M.D.
Hot Springs
Editorial on 01/16/2016