This North Carolina Anti-Abortion Bill Is A Lie

The latest move in the right-wing war on facts is attempting to trick women out of having abortions with misinformation and unsubstantiated claims. A new North Carolina state legislature bill would force doctors to tell people using the medication abortion method that they could "reverse" the procedure midway through. The law is dangerous, immoral, sexist, and factually incorrect, and it shouldn't go into law without a public and legal huge battle.

Medication abortions, also known as RU-486, involves two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. The mifepristone is taken under medical supervision at a doctor's office or clinic, and it stops peoples' bodies from producing the progesterone needed to sustain a pregnancy. Then, the misoprostol is taken 24 to 48 hours later, which causes uterine cramps and forces the body to expel the embryo.

The new bill, an extension of the “Women’s Right to Know” law, would force doctors to tell women that they can reverse the effects of the first drug, even though that's scientifically unsubstantiated right now. According to some fringe scientists, an external dose of progesterone would keep the pregnancy viable up to 72 hours after the person takes the mifepristone. However, that claim hasn't been clinically tested, nor has the treatment been approved by the proper regulatory bodies.

This bill appears to be more evidence that Republican pro-lifers don't care about peoples' lives. There's not nearly enough research on the effects of an incomplete medical abortion to show that it's not harmful to those who attempt this reversal. There's also insufficient evidence to show that this wouldn't be harmful to the fetus, which could develop severe defects as a result of the mifepristone. Feeding people information without the right research is dangerous and potentially deadly, but hey, it's alright as long as it subjugates women, right?

Unfortunately, this is not a new trend in North Carolina. According to Vice, more than 46 percent of the abortion "facts" that doctors are legally forced to tell people seeking the procedure are medically inaccurate. Legislators are insistent on taking away women's freedom of choice through lies, showing that they don't truly care about abortion seekers' physical well-being or human dignity.

Like it or not, women have the right to make their own choices without interference, and fetuses do not. This new bill goes so far as to put people in danger, just so women have less freedom in this world. The title of the bill — mansplaining and trans-exclusive — is all the evidence you really need to see that this is about maintaining the patriarchy more than protecting people.