A new federal bill aims to protect women from a risky but increasingly used abortion method in which a patient never sees the doctor face-to-face.
With the abortion industry largely unregulated and the use of abortion drugs increasing, the Tele-abortion Prevention Act (HR 4935) would require a very basic part of medical care — a physical examination by the abortion practitioner prior to administering the abortion drugs.
The Waxahachie Daily Light reports U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, a pro-life Republican from Texas, recently introduced the bill to ban tele-medicine, or webcam, abortions.
“Although we currently have protections in place, pro-abortion groups are looking for ways to get around the law,” Wright said. “There is evidence that tele-abortion participants are not getting appropriate medical advice or assistance, and ending up severely injured.”
Webcam abortions are dangerous because the woman does not receive a physical examination from the abortion doctor. Instead, she chats with the abortionist on a computer screen before a remote-controlled drawer or nurse dispenses the abortion drugs. The abortion drugs can have serious complications, including heavy bleeding, infection and incomplete abortions that require surgery.
Wright’s legislation would ensure that women receive at least a basic examination from the abortionist and a follow-up visit.
“Passage of this legislation will be a strong step forward in instituting protections against these reckless tactics,” he said.
Two leading pro-life organizations, the National Right to Life Committee and Susan B. Anthony List, both endorsed the bill, according to the report. Their goal is to protect both mothers and unborn babies’ lives from abortion.
SUPPORT LIFENEWS! If you like this pro-life article, please help LifeNews.com with a donation!
“Life is sacred and our goal as a nation should always be to prevent the destruction of unborn life,” Wright said. “From the moment I entered Congress, the sanctity of life has been my top priority and an issue I will continue to devote my life protecting.”
So far, at least 20 states have passed legislation to ban webcam abortions, according to the National Right to Life Committee.
More unborn babies in America are being aborted using the abortion drugs. Data from state health departments and the Centers for Disease Control shows that while abortion numbers are going down, the percentage of drug-induced, or chemical, abortions is going up. A 2014 report from the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute estimated that abortion drugs were used for 23 percent of all abortions—an increase from 17 percent in 2008.
Research suggests webcam abortions are more dangerous for women than surgical abortions. An analysis of a University of California San Francisco study found that women who had webcam abortions had four times higher risk of complications.
The abortion drugs have been linked to at least 24 women’s deaths and serious complications with at least 4,000 others.
