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Campus health centers not ‘equipped to handle life-threatening complications of abortion drugs,’ pro-life expert says 

The University of Washington’s health center is now offering abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol to students without requiring an ultrasound or counseling beforehand.

Three pro-life experts told The College Fix this could pose serious health risks to women seeking a chemical abortion at the university.

“According to [Husky Health Center] executive director Joel Schwartzkopf, students are not required to schedule an ultrasound or counseling session prior to a prescription for abortion medications, although both services are available for patients to determine whether a medication abortion is necessary,” university newspaper The Daily reported.

Tessa Cox, senior associate at a pro-life research group, told The Fix that without in-person medical exams, doctors aren’t able to screen for health complications, such as an ectopic pregnancy, which could impact the efficacy and safety of abortion pills.

Moreover, around 3-7% of the time, abortion drugs “fail to completely expel the dead baby and pregnancy tissue, which can require follow-up surgery or lead to hemorrhage and infection if untreated,” Cox, with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, said.

“Studies have found that abortion drugs have four times the complication rate of surgical abortion. These risks only increase with advanced pregnancy and lack of medical supervision,” she said.

Similarly, Esther Ripplinger, president of pro-life group Human Life of Washington, told The Fix via email that offering abortion drugs without full disclosure of all documented risks to women is “not only an affront to women’s intelligence to make decisions for themselves with all the facts, but it is also medical malpractice.”

“There are over 30 deaths associated from women taking Mifepristone, and thousands of injuries. We want women to be given all the information about the drugs and to be offered alternatives to abortion for their longterm emotional and physical well-being,” Ripplinger said.

“Women deserve full disclosure of all the risks and complications,” she said.

The Fix reached out to the University of Washington and the Husky Health Center via email in the last two weeks for comment on these criticisms but did not receive a response.

Adding to these concerns, Katie Daniels, policy counsel director at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, took issue with the fact that a public institution is using taxpayer funds to supply abortion drugs.

“The abortion industry no doubt sees a gold mine in colleges, even driving abortion drug trucks around campus,” Daniels told The Fix. “But the American people have been very clear: they do not support taxpayer funding for abortion, and they don’t buy the false talking point that abortion drugs are ‘safer than Tylenol.’”

“For parents, imagine this is your daughter being offered high-risk drugs ‘same day’ with no ultrasound or counseling, sent off to self-abort alone in a dorm room, having no idea if severe pain and heavy bleeding she didn’t expect is ‘normal,’ even delivering the visible body of her baby into the toilet,” Daniels said.

What’s more, “the average campus health center isn’t equipped to handle life-threatening complications of abortion drugs,” meaning the school is “taking a dangerous gamble with students’ health and safety,” she said.

“Schools should be supporting parenting students, not pushing them toward abortion,” she said.

Daniels, Cox, and Ripplinger have also taken action to address these concerns and are urging pro-lifers to do the same.

Ripplinger told The Fix pro-lifers should continue the fight against abortion pill expansion in the state through whatever legal and respectful means they can, including communication, online discussions, campaigns, and advocacy.

She said her organization recently spoke against a bill in the Washington state Senate that would have “mandated all campus health centers to provide abortion pills.” SB 5321 died in committee this year after failing to pass by a February deadline.

At the federal level, Texas Rep. Chip Roy recently proposed legislation that would strip funding from universities that hand out chemical abortion drugs to students, The College Fix reported.

“The American people should not be forced to fund the destruction of innocent life through DIY abortions with their hard-earned tax money to begin with,” Roy stated in a news release.

MORE: Northeastern to host party to celebrate abortion pills on campus

IMAGE CAPTION AND CREDIT: Woman holds abortion pill and glass of water; Africa images/Canva Pro

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