Media Release 1 June 2024
The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists issued a media release on 18 April, rejecting the abortion pill reversal protocol, claiming that there was no scientific evidence that it was safe and effective.
Right to Life asks the College: what evidence does it have to prove that the protocol is not safe and is ineffective?
Right to Life believes that the safe birth of more than 4,000 babies internationally, after their mothers used this reversal protocol, since 2012, is evidence that the abortion pill reversal protocol is both safe and effective.
18 April 2024 Council’s Media Release: “Women making decisions on a pregnancy need factual and evidence-based information to help them decide what is best for them. Claims that medical abortion can be ‘reversed’ by a dose of progesterone after a women has taken the first medical abortion medication are not based on reputable scientific evidence. RANZCOG, the leading body for obstetrics and gynaecology and women’s health in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, does not support the use of progesterone to reverse medical abortion, or claims that an abortion can be reversed with this practice."
It is important that women have access to safe and effective abortion care, and that all care is unbiased and based on reputable scientific evidence. It is rare for someone to change their mind after starting a medical abortion but if this happens women should discuss their options with their abortion care provider or GP.”
Right to Life believes that this information is incorrect and violates the rights of women to cease the abortion procedure. We believe that the Ministry of Health is failing in its obligations and duties as the regulatory authority to comply with the code of Health Rights in providing information to consumers seeking an early medical abortion. The code of Health & Disability Service Consumer’s Rights 1996, specifically states,
Right 6. Right to be fully informed.
Right 7. Right to make an informed choice & give informed consent, which states that a consumer has the right to cease treatment or withdraw consent.
(7) Every consumer has the right to refuse services and to withdraw consent to services.
Right to Life is concerned that 10,000 women who sought an early medical abortion in New Zealand in 2023, were not advised that they had a right to discontinue the procedure after taking Mifepristone and before taking the second drug Misoprostol. They were also not advised that the abortion pill reversal protocol was available, was safe and effective.
Many women are coerced into having an abortion and a number have serious regret and experience remorse after taking the first drug Mifepristone and prior to taking Misoprostol.
The community should be aware that the Abortion Clinical Guidelines provide information that claim that abortions cannot be reversed and that this practice is not supported in New Zealand.
This incorrect information is also on the Ministry’s web site for the Decide National Abortion Telehealth Service. “You can change your mind about having an abortion at any time before it takes place , if you are having an early medical abortion . Once you have taken the medication you cannot stop or reverse the abortion”.
The abortion pill reversal protocol using progesterone is widely accepted in the United States. There are 23 States in the United States which have legislation requiring that women undergoing an early medical abortion be advised of the abortion pill reversal protocol.
The abortion pill reversal protocol has the support of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynaecologists, this Association has 2,500 members.
The abortion pill reversal protocol developed in the United States provides treatment with progesterone for a woman who has taken Mifepristone and before she has taken Misoprostol, it has a success rate of 64% in saving the life of the child
Dr Delgardo, founder of the abortion pill reversal protocol conducted a study in 2018 with 754 patients who had been treated with the protocol. The study revealed that the treatment was safe and effective, there were no birth defects.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has stated that if a woman has taken Mifepristone to kill her unborn child and changes her mind, but if she does not take the Misoprostol and takes no further action, then her baby has a 60% chance of survival.
Right to Life laid a complaint with the Ombudsman in 2023 against the Ministry of Health for failure to provide evidence that the abortion pill reversal protocol is unsafe and ineffective.
Ken Orr,
Secretary,
Right to Life New Zealand Inc.