The abortion pill may seem to some women in a crisis pregnancy as an easy, safe, and efficient way to get out of their situation; however, new research shows that this is false. The abortion pill, mifepristone, has been praised by Planned Parenthood as “as safe as Tylenol.” However, new clinical research shows that one in ten women who take the abortion pill, mifepristone, will suffer serious and sometimes deadly health complications. Health complications include sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, and other serious issues. Imagine taking a pill that you are told is completely safe and then ending up in the emergency room because of it. A woman should be given the truth so that she can make informed decisions about her body and her future.
Mifepristone is a drug that is lethal to growing humans in the womb, and now research suggests it can be deadly to women in unplanned pregnancies. The study on 865,727 women from the years 2017 to 2023, published by The Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), discovered that 10.93% of women suffer “serious adverse events” within 45 days of taking mifepristone for an abortion. This finding suggests that in real-world applications, Mifepristone is 22 times more likely to cause adverse health effects than clinical trials reported. Because women are not told the truth about potential health complications from Mifepristone, they are not prepared when potentially deadly complications arise.
Women are also misled about the amount of pain they will experience after taking Mifepristone. According to a British peer-reviewed study, “Trials show patients typically experience moderate to severe pain, with average pain scores between 5 and 8 out of 10.” Women were told that they should expect cramping, However, many women compared the pain to an unmedicated labor. Women were shocked at what they experienced and were upset that the pain was being downplayed by medical professionals they believed they could trust. One woman stated, “The pain was intense and constant, in my lower back. It hurt so much that it made me throw up several times. I felt shaky and faint at points.” Nearly 1600 women who underwent chemical abortions responded to this survey. Of the women surveyed, 41.5 % rated their pain levels as a level 8 or higher, which is considered by medical professionals as severe pain. Experiencing unexpected pain must feel incredibly scary.
Mifepristone is given to women up to 10 weeks’ gestation. At this point in pregnancy, an unborn child has a fetal heartbeat, brain activity, and partially developed eyes, lips, and nostrils. The abortion pill mifepristone kills the child by cutting off the supply of oxygen and nutrients. A second pill, misoprostol, expels the child’s body from the mother, essentially inducing labor.
If you are experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, you should be given the facts and know the truth. It is your right to make fully informed decisions. You have options beyond mifepristone. Call Haven today for more information, send us a message on our website, or visit us in person. We are here to support you through this.
Works Cited:
Jamie Bryan Hall and Ryan T. Anderson. (2025, May 10). The Abortion Pill Harms Women: Insurance Data reveals one in ten patients experiences a serious adverse event. Ethics & Public Policy Center. https://eppc.org/publication/insurance-data-reveals-one-in-ten-patients-experiences-a-serious-adverse-event/
McCulloch H, Perro D, Taghinejadi N, et alExpectations and experiences of pain during medical abortion at home: a secondary, mixed-methods analysis of a patient survey in England and WalesBMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health 2025;51:137-143.
Q & A on chemical abortion. (n.d.). https://www.usccb.org/resources/chemical_abortion_q&a_2.2024_0.pdf