Alerts Sign-up
The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) recently released a study titled "The Abortion Pill Harms Women," which has sparked debate due to its claim that "Insurance Data Reveals One in Ten Patients Experiences a Serious Adverse Event." The Washington-based think tank, known for addressing moral values in civic decision-making, describes its findings as the largest-known study of the abortion pill, mifepristone.
According to the EPPC study, 10.93% of women who use mifepristone experience serious adverse events such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging. This rate is reportedly 22 times higher than what the FDA-approved drug label indicates. In response to these findings, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has ordered a new FDA review of mifepristone.
Mifepristone is used alongside misoprostol to induce medication abortions and is also employed in early miscarriage care by many OB-GYNs. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends this combination for more effective treatment than misoprostol alone.
The Catholic Church opposes abortion but does not object to using medicine for health restoration purposes. Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk from the National Catholic Bioethics Center explained that while mifepristone and misoprostol are used immorally in abortions, they can also be morally used for treating miscarriages.
OSV News consulted experts from Boston College, Gonzaga University, and Regis University to evaluate the EPPC study's methodology. Concerns were raised about the absence of named researchers beyond lead authors and lack of statistical analyses necessary for establishing causation or strong associations.
Shaun Dougherty from Boston College noted issues with data representation and insurance-based sample limitations. Robin Pickering from Gonzaga University highlighted the absence of external scientific review as a validity concern. Martin Schiavenato warned about potential multiple counting of adverse events due to unclear definitions.
In response to critiques, EPPC issued additional documents but did not address core methodological concerns raised by experts. Kimberley Heatherington reports on these developments for OSV News from Virginia.
