A New Mexico abortion facility may be jeopardizing women’s lives by violating Food and Drug Administration regulations for abortion drugs, according to a new investigation by Abortion Free New Mexico.
The group recently called Hilltop Women’s Reproductive Clinic in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to ask about the services it provides. During the call, the receptionist admitted they do not have the equipment to diagnose ectopic pregnancies – a requirement of the FDA when prescribing the abortion drug mifepristone, which the abortion facility does.
Mifepristone can be deadly for the mother as well as her unborn baby, especially if an ectopic pregnancy goes undetected. The FDA outlines specific requirements for prescribing the drug, including the “ability to diagnose ectopic pregnancies.” According to the agency’s data, at least 24 women died in connection to taking mifepristone, including two who had ectopic pregnancies.
The Santa Teresa abortion facility appears to be violating this vital requirement, according to the investigation.
During a recent call to the abortion facility, the investigator asks, “Are you guys able to detect an ectopic pregnancy if I came in for a procedure there?”
The receptionist responds: “We do not have a vaginal ultrasound. The vaginal ultrasound would detect if it’s ectopic.” She also states that the abortionist is Franz Theard, and he provides the abortion drugs up to 9 weeks gestation.
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This week, Abortion Free New Mexico and local pro-life advocate Leisha Armijo Martin filed a complaint against Theard with the FDA.
The complaint asks “that the Sponsors (drug manufacturers) ensure that they have on file, a current, signed prescriber agreement form for Franz Theard M.D. who operates at Hilltop Women’s Reproductive Clinic located at, 5290 McNutt Road Suite 106, Santa Teresa, NM 88008 and ensure compliance prior to dispensing the drug to the dispensers in question. We are also requesting an FDA-audit on both the suppliers and the prescribers to the ensure safety of the consumers.”
Tara Shaver of Abortion Free New Mexico said Theard, who also works in Texas, is putting women’s lives at risk. She said they hope the FDA will move quickly to investigate.
“He is doing this in violation of FDA requirements that are in place because this drug poses such a threat to the women who are receiving it,” Shaver said. “An ectopic pregnancy is usually diagnosed by a physician who then provides continuity of care to them, but abortion facilities simply aren’t in business to provide legitimate healthcare that protects both mom and baby, instead the lives of both are held in the balance.”
Mifepristone is one of two drugs used together to abort unborn babies up to 10 weeks of pregnancy in the U.S. It works by blocking the hormone progesterone, which an unborn baby needs to develop. About a day after taking the drug, a woman takes a second abortion drug called misoprostol, which induces labor and causes her to expel her baby’s body.
According to the FDA, “… the drug carries a risk of serious or even life-threatening adverse effects, including serious and sometimes fatal infections and prolonged heavy bleeding …”
Abortion activists insist that the drugs are very safe, but research suggests the opposite. The latest FDA report on mifepristone indicates that more than 4,000 women suffered significant “adverse events,” and 24 died since 2000, when the drug was approved. A Planned Parenthood study even admitted at least one woman is seriously injured from the abortion pill daily.
A new study, published in the journal “Frontiers in Neuroscience” in May, suggests the abortion drug also may increase the risk of psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, loss of appetite and decreased self-care.
