The College Fix

Instagram post says women can tell emergency room it’s a ‘miscarriage’

A student club at Northeastern University recently posted a graphic to social media telling students that they can lie to doctors if they are experiencing negative side effects from medication abortion.

The advice raised red flags for one pro-life OB-GYN.

“Abortion drugs have significant risks, with 1 in 25 women visiting the emergency room after taking them according to the FDA’s label,” Dr. Donna Harrison, director of research at the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, told The College Fix.

“It’s important for anyone seeking to support women’s reproductive health not to be cavalier about these risks, including by telling them to lie to ER staff that they are having a miscarriage when they are really facing complications from abortion drugs,” she said in a recent email.

The graphic was posted on Instagram by Northeastern SHARE, a student club that promotes “reproductive justice” and “sex positivity.” SHARE is a chapter of Planned Parenthood Generation Action, a network of pro-abortion young adults across the country.

The graphic, (pictured) which The Fix observed Feb. 7 on the club’s Instagram stories, states, “If a person needs to go to the hospital, they can say they are having a miscarriage. There’s no way for medical experts to tell the difference.”

These instructions came right after another image that the club posted about “How people self-manage abortions using pills.”

The images also include the phone number for a “Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline” along with the “Self-Managed Abortion; Safe and Supported” website, which supports the “rights of people” to access “safe abortion.”

Neither of the images is still on the club’s social media page. Posts via Instagram stories typically only appear for 24 hours.

Both images came from a longer series of Instagram posts by Renee Bracey Sherman, author of “Liberating Abortion” and founder of We Testify, a pro-abortion organization supporting “people who have abortions” and amplifying the voices of “abortion storytellers.”

Sherman’s posts, which are still public, describe how to “self-manage abortions” using mifepristone and misoprostol up to 12 weeks of pregnancy.

At 12 weeks, an unborn baby has developed a heart, spinal cord, toes, and limbs, according to the Mayo Clinic’s webpage about fetal development.

In Sherman’s post directly after the one about going to the emergency room, it states that abortions at home can be “legally risky,” and women “have been arrested for taking abortion pills on their own.”

Other posts in her abortion how-to series state there may be “very uncomfortable symptoms” such as nausea, dizziness, and vomiting but reassures the viewer this means “the medication is working.” Another post in the series shows a woman bending over in pain as she sits on the toilet, and another describes signs that a woman should seek medical help.

The last image in the graphic says, “Everyone loves someone who had an abortion” and depicts two women sitting together laughing and eating popcorn.

Sherman’s posts appear to attribute the information to the World Health Organization; however, none mention a specific webpage or article by the WHO.

Sherman did not respond to two emailed requests for comment through her organization, asking if a medical professional reviewed the information in her posts and how she would respond to concerns about the advice posing risks to women.

The Fix also contacted the Northeastern club and university’s media relations office twice within the past two weeks, asking if the club or campus health center provides resources to students who experience negative reactions to the abortion pill. Neither responded.

This month, the Boston university began offering abortion pills to students through its campus health center, The Fix reported.

The Northeastern SHARE club celebrated by hosting a “Medical Abortion Launch Party” on Feb. 10. The event featured crafts and an “autonomy themed” open mic.

The pro-abortion club also has hosted other events such as a condom night where members could learn about “colors” and “flavors.” A 2024 recap post on Instagram states the club distributed more than 512 Plan B emergency contraceptive packets and 1,500 condoms last year.

Speaking with The Fix, Dr. Harrison of the American Association of Pro-Life OB-GYNs said she is concerned free access to abortion mediation will lead to unintended consequences for college students.

“It would also allow people to obtain abortion drugs who plan to coerce pregnant women to take them against their will or even poison them without their knowledge, both of which are cases that have occurred,” Harrison said.

“Women deserve better than to be left vulnerable to this kind of abuse and serious medical complications,” she told The Fix.

MORE: Sarah Lawrence changes pregnancy reporting policy amid criticism

IMAGES: Northeastern SHARE and Renee Bracey Sherman/Instagram

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