Notas del episodio
Can a 13-year-old order abortion pills online without anyone verifying her age, confirming her pregnancy, or speaking with her face-to-face?
Dr. Christina Francis, a board-certified OB/GYN and CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), decided to find out.
She went undercover, posing as a 13-year-old with multiple serious medical risk factors, including severe anemia, an IUD, a history of ectopic pregnancy, multiple prior C-sections, and blood thinner use. According to Francis, despite the red flags, she was able to obtain abortion pills through the mail without an ID check or an in-person medical evaluation.
What arrived four days later raised even more questions about medical oversight, informed consent, follow-up care, and what happens when complications occur.
In this episode of Bioethics Babe, Dr. Francis takes us inside her undercover investigation and explains the medical risks women and girls may face, including hemorrhage, infection, incomplete abortion, and the danger of an undiagnosed ectopic pregnancy.
We also examine how easily abortion pills could potentially be obtained by abusers or traffickers, why Dr. Francis believes the current system falls short of genuine telemedicine and informed consent, and what she is calling on the FDA to do as it reviews the safety of mifepristone.
How did we get to a point where powerful abortion drugs can be mailed with so little direct medical oversight, and what does that mean for the women and girls medicine is supposed to protect?
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