We’re never said it before, and we’ll likely never say it again — but Russia may just have done something right on the abortion front. Their government has recently tightened the restrictions on Chemical Abortion Pills and considering just how dangerous these drugs can be for women (not to mention the preborn), it’s a move our own country needs to mimic. Here’s what happened and why it matters:  

Just recently, the Russian Ministry of Health announced new limits on the two drugs used in Chemical Abortions: mifepristone and misoprostol. Going into effect on September 1, 2024, and lasting for exactly six years (until September 1, 2030), the three new regulations will include:  

• Those seeking to obtain Chemical Abortion Pills must get a prescription from a doctor before purchasing.  
• Doctors must hold a special license in order to prescribe and distribute the drugs.   
• Chemical Abortion Pill distributors also must track and report their sales.   

Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said the regulations are due to Chemical Abortion Pills posing “both medical and ethical risks for Russian women.” Hear, hear to both of those concerns!  

Why are these regulations a good thing?  

In a perfect world, there would be no such thing as abortion…yet as we work toward creating a better world, regulations such as these can be very helpful for two reasons. First, they can discourage a mother from aborting her child as there are more hoops to jump through. As part of this, such regulations (having to hold a special license or tracking and reporting the drug sales) can discourage a doctor from prescribing the deadly pills thus making it harder to access them. 

Second, if a mother unfortunately does go through with a Chemical Abortion, she will be much safer than if these regulations were not in place. There are multiple factors at play here. If someone seeking to buy Chemical Abortion Pills must do so from a doctor, it decreases the chance abusers can get ahold of these drugs.

If a woman is trying to obtain them for herself, the doctor is hopefully screening her before prescribing Chemical Abortion Pills — meaning she will likely be blood-tested and have her pregnancy verified (to ensure she is not Rh-negative, it’s not ectopic pregnancy, and that she isn’t too far along).  

Why are Chemical Abortion Pills such bad news?  

To learn more about how Chemical Abortion Pills can be used by abusers, you can read an op-ed at The Federalist by Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins entitled “How The FDA’s Abortion Pill Mill Enables Domestic Abusers.” To learn how women’s health is also at danger with these risky drugs, check out Hawkins’ piece at National Review entitled “The Abortion Lobby Doubles Down on Risky Chemical-Abortion Pills.” 

For a deep dive into how Chemical Abortion Pills can also negatively affect future fertility, Hawkins also has an excellent Federalist article entitled “Did You Know Abortion Can Affect Your Future Chances of Having a Child.”   

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