Sen. Steve Daines Introduces Bill to Ban Federal Funds from Schools Offering Abortion-Inducing Drugs

Sen. Steve Daines introduced legislation Wednesday that would block the use of federal funds from colleges and universities with campus health clinics that provide abortions or abortion-inducing drugs.

Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX and Mary Miller (R-IL) and other pro-life advocates joined with Daines at a press conference to discuss the bill, titled Protecting Life on College Campus Act, which states its purpose as:

To prohibit the award of Federal funds to an institution of higher education that hosts or is affiliated with a student-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to students of the institution or to employees of the institution or site, and for other purposes.

Daines said:

For too long the abortion industry has been taking advantage of vulnerable women and now, blue states like California are beginning to require campus clinics to provide chemical abortions on demand. These do-it-yourself abortions put young women in dangerous situations that they are oftentimes forced to deal with alone in their dorm room. This not only ends the life of an unborn child, it endangers the mother’s life as well. We cannot allow campus health centers to turn into abortion clinics.

In October 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill into law that required public colleges and universities in the state to distribute abortion drugs, effectively turning the schools into first-trimester abortion clinics.

Drug-induced abortions require Mifepristone/Mifeprex, which blocks the hormone progesterone and destabilizes the uterine wall, leading to the starvation of the unborn baby, and second, Misoprostol, which causes contractions, expelling the baby while the mother is at home or in her college dorm.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reports the following on the drugs used to induce abortion:

What are the possible side effects of using Mifeprex?

Cramping and vaginal bleeding are expected effects of the treatment regimen.  In some cases very heavy vaginal bleeding will need to be stopped by a surgical procedure, which can often be performed in a healthcare provider’s office. Other common side effects of the treatment regimen include nausea, weakness, fever/chills, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, and dizziness in the first day or two after taking the two medicines.

The possible side effects are described in the Adverse Reactions section of the labeling and in the Medication Guide for Mifeprex.

This information applies equally to the approved generic version of Mifeprex, which generally has the same labeling as Mifeprex.

What serious adverse events have been reported after Mifeprex use?

It is not uncommon for the FDA to receive reports of serious adverse events for prescription drugs after they are approved. The FDA has received reports of serious adverse events in women who took Mifeprex. As of December 31, 2018, there were reports of 24 deaths of women associated with Mifeprex since the product was approved in September 2000, including two cases of ectopic pregnancy resulting in death; and several cases of severe systemic infection (also called sepsis), including some that were fatal. The adverse events cannot with certainty be causally attributed to mifepristone because of concurrent use of other drugs, other medical or surgical treatments, co-existing medical conditions, and information gaps about patient health status and clinical management of the patient. A summary report of adverse events that reflects data through December 31, 2018 is here.

The use of drug-induced abortion has risen dramatically in the past two decades, rom five percent in 2001 to 39% of all abortions in 2017. About seven percent of women experience complications that require surgery following a drug-induced abortion.