We traveled from Nevada, Nebraska, Oregon and Tennessee to Washington, D.C., recently, to speak with members of Congress, senators and national reporters about something deeply personal: what happened to us after taking abortion drugs. We are four women from four different states. Our circumstances were different. Two of us obtained abortion drugs online via the web and chat. Two obtained them in person.
But we share a conviction: women deserve to know the risks, and policymakers need to take a hard look at whether the current system protects them. Mifepristone carries a boxed warning about serious and sometimes fatal bleeding and infection. The FDA's own labeling reports that roughly 1 in 25 women who take these drugs will present to an emergency room … and that’s from receiving them at an in-person abortion center after screenings.
Haile McAnally obtained the drugs in person. After taking the second drug at home, she began bleeding heavily. She became weak and eventually lost consciousness in her bathtub. A friend found her and called 911. Haile was taken to a hospital and received a blood transfusion. Elizabeth Gillette also obtained the drugs in person. She has publicly described experiencing severe bleeding, vomiting, shaking, and sweating.
No one warned her that she would pass a human being after taking the drugs; she was told her baby was a “clump of cells.” She has suffered severe mental health challenges as a result. Jessica Williams obtained abortion drugs through an online chat, with the drugs shipped across state lines to a hotel. After taking the first medication, Jessica immediately regretted her decision.
She sought help from a pregnancy center and obtained abortion-pill reversal treatment. Her daughter, Kaylee, survived and is thriving.