The push to deregulate the abortion pill has led to a string of tragic outcomes, from viable babies being born into toilets to women facing life-threatening complications, according to a new analysis and recent criminal cases.
In a case that has rocked North Carolina, an 18-year-old woman and her 19-year-old partner face charges for harming a newborn after the woman allegedly took the abortion drug mifepristone in her third trimester. According to arrest warrants, Durham firefighters and police responded to a home on July 29 after a child was born prematurely. They found the baby alive in a toilet. Firefighters rushed the infant to a hospital, where she was saved.
Abortions are illegal in North Carolina, but Durham County District Attorney Satana Deberry has said she will not prosecute âwomen who obtain abortions or the health care professionals who assist them.â
This incident is not isolated. In the United Kingdom, a woman who illegally took abortion pills at home while about six months pregnant appeared in court after her baby was born deceased. Nicola Packer procured the pills from Marie Stopes by falsely claiming she was under 10 weeks pregnant. She later arrived at a hospital with the dead fetus in her bag, telling nurses she had experienced a miscarriage at 16â18 weeks. A postmortem revealed the baby was 26 weeks old and healthy, meaning the abortion occurred past the UK’s 24-week legal limit.
FDA deregulation under fire
These cases come after the FDA in 2023 allowed mifepristone to be prescribed via telemedicine and dispensed through the mail or a pharmacy, without requiring an in-person doctor visit. The change, which also applies to misoprostol taken alongside mifepristone, has been criticized for removing oversight that could catch dangerous situations.
Supporters argued the change would improve access, but opponents say it puts women at risk. Several factors can lead to complications: a woman may lie about the age of her fetus, she may have undisclosed health conditions, or there may be no one monitoring her after she takes the pills to catch complications early.
Study reveals higher complication rates
The FDA and drug manufacturers Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro have downplayed the drug’s adverse effects. While common side effectsânausea, weakness, fever, chills, vomiting, headache, diarrhea, and dizzinessâare usually temporary, more serious outcomes can occur.
A comprehensive report released in May 2025 by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) analyzed public and private insurance claims from 330 million U.S. patients over seven years, from 2017 to 2023. The study found that 10.93% of the 865,727 women prescribed chemical abortions using mifepristone suffered a serious adverse event like sepsis or hemorrhaging within 45 days of taking the drug.
That rate is 22 times higher than what the FDA label indicates. âOur research shows unequivocally that mifepristone abortion, as currently practiced in the U.S., is considerably more dangerous to women than is represented on the FDA-approved drug label,â the researchers said. They argue the FDA âshould immediately reinstate its earlier, stronger patient safety protocols to ensure physician responsibility for women who take mifepristone under their care, as well as mandate full reporting of its side effects.â
The EPPC has strongly recommended the FDA reconsider its approval of the drugs entirely.
Call for action
The report’s authors and other critics are asking a pointed question: How many more women and babies will be in danger before the FDA gets this ruling right?
As the debate over abortion access continues, this data suggests the deregulation of the abortion pill has had severe unintended consequences. For opponents, the cases and statistics underscore the need for stricter oversight. For supporters, the challenge is balancing access with safety. But the human toll is undeniable.
Source: www.americanthinker.com â https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2026/08/the-deregulation-of-the-abortion-pill-has-been-a-disaster/