The new Ohio law reappears the phrase “reversal” of abortion without medical support

Republican lawmakers in Ohio announced new legislation Tuesday to regulate abortion providers, once again imposing specific language that providers will be required to read before performing abortions that is not accepted by the entire medical community.

State Reps. Jennifer Gross, R-West Chester, and Johnathan Newman, R-Troy, are introducing a bill that would require pregnant patients to be provided with information about the so-called “reversal” abortion method before they receive the first dose of a two-dose medical abortion regimen.

Mifepristone and misoprostol are two drugs included in this scheme, and information that should have been included in the bill states that “it may be possible to reverse the effects if (pregnant people) regret their decision and act quickly.”

The bill also requires the Ohio Department of Health to post on its website information on how to obtain treatment, how to exploit treatment for “treatment reversal,” and the number of a 24-hour state-funded hotline to answer questions about treatment.

“This bill seeks to ensure that women have full, informed choice and consent, not to restrict them,” Gross said. “It has no impact on a woman’s initial decision to have an abortion.”

Sponsors argued that the trial uses progesterone, which has been used during pregnancy for decades, although the “reversal” method is not approved by the FDA.

Both Mifepristone and Misoprostol are FDA approved and have been used since 2000.

Asked whether sponsors consulted with doctors and abortion providers before submitting the latest bill, Gross and Newman said they met with doctors associated with the anti-abortion organization National Right to Life.

“We actually consulted with doctors who have been behind promoting this method for many years,” Newman said.

Members of Ohio Right to Life and the Center for Christian Virtue supported the new bill at a news conference Tuesday.

“Decisions about pregnancy and having children are profound,” said David Mahan, executive director of policy at the Center for Christian Virtue. “A woman should not be denied information that could lead her to make a different choice, especially if she experiences doubt or coercion.”

Kari Snyder, executive director of Ohio Right to Life, said the information was a “simple” way to inform patients and that several legislators had already worked on the bill and agreed to become co-sponsors.

As such bills have passed across the country, national organizations such as the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have criticized the language as misleading and “not based on science”.

Newman referred to a study that was never completed on the effects of “reversal” abortions – a study that ended early due to safety concerns, but Newman blamed mifepristone, not the “reversal” method itself, as the cause of the safety concerns.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists cites several studies that have attempted to examine the effects of progesterone in “reversing” an abortion and concluded that none of the studies have confirmed the safety or effectiveness of this method.

“The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists evaluates its recommendations based on evidence and does not support prescribing progesterone to stop medication abortion,” the group said on your website.

The organization added that legislative “mandatory orders” requiring doctors to provide “inaccurate” information constitute an “interference with the patient-clinical relationship and are contrary to the fundamental principle of medical ethics.”

The measure is one of many Ohio Republicans have implemented after establishing abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution in 2023, approved by 57% of voters.

Gross, Newman and Snyder denied that the bill’s new “reversal” abortion language conflicts with a constitutional amendment regarding abortion rights.

“It’s purely information, it doesn’t influence the decision in any way, and if we look at it through the lens of choice, it’s an additional step in the choice,” Snyder said.

This isn’t the first time the Ohio Legislature has introduced “reverse” language on abortion.

IN 2019 AND 2022The Ohio House was considering similar bills that would require doctors to provide information on medically unsubstantiated information and were also considered “informed consent” bills from sponsors.

These bills did not make it through their chambers and died at the end of the General Assembly’s term.

Other bills introduced include another attempt at a “personhood” bill that would create rights for in vitro fetuses under the U.S. Constitution, effectively banning abortion at conception.

One bill recently passed by the House also follows the “informed consent” principle that Republicans apply to many bills regulating abortion.

Ohio House Bill 347 requires a doctor to meet with a pregnant patient at least 24 hours before an abortion to provide information about the procedure, and imposes civil penalties on doctors who violate the bill.

Abortion rights and reproductive health groups opposed the bill when it was considered by a House committee, saying the bill discriminates against pregnant people because a waiting period does not apply to any other medical procedure. They also said the bill would create further barriers to care for people seeking abortions.

The 24-Hour bill, HB 347, is scheduled for a full vote in the Ohio House of Representatives, which could come as soon as Wednesday.

A similar measure passed by the state Legislature was upheld in court, with a Franklin County Common Pleas Court judge invoking a state constitutional amendment blocking enforcement of the 24-hour waiting period while the lawsuit was pending in court.

If passed, the bill would go to the Ohio Senate, which is already considering it, Ohio Senate Bill 309that would require health care providers to provide patients with information about the ability to sue health care providers in the event of any complications, particularly those related to medication abortion.

Medication abortions have increased in Ohio and across the country due to the ability to exploit telehealth to access treatment.

The abortion “reversal” bill will receive a number before being considered by a House committee.

Neither Gross nor Newman provided a timeline for the bill’s introduction.