There’s Something in the Water!
Abortion pills could be affecting more than just those who use them.
Since Roe v. Wade was overturned, there has been a huge spike in the use of the abortion pill. Many women choose to go through this process at home and are usually alone. The chemical abortion process consists of a two-part regimen in which the first pill, mifepristone, blocks the necessary nutrients from the baby, and the second set of pills cause the woman to expel the baby.
The thing is, the effects of the pill don’t end there…
When women use abortion pills, abortion facilities and online distributers are instructing them to flush “the waste,” which includes placental tissue and human remains, down the toilet. This contaminates the water, which poses a new environmental risk that needs addressing.
What’s so bad about it being in the water?
After the mifepristone is flushed down the toilet, it enters the wastewater system. It could then be ingested by animals or plants and harm them. Students for Life noted that it is not the overwhelming amount of evidence that is the problem, but rather the lack of it. “The lack of U.S. evidence that we flagged as a problem from day one of this project isn’t absolution; it’s the sign of failure by the FDA.” (Kristan Hawkins). There hasn’t been enough testing done to look into the potential negative effects of the pill. When waste and human remains are not disposed of properly, it can cause potential for infections for both people and animals.
Students for Life of America recently claimed that the abortion pill is affecting the environment and potentially causing plants and animals to have negative side effects such as toxic exposure to pharmaceutical products from the contaminated water. This is especially dangerous to endangered animals who are in a delicate struggle to reproduce and repopulate.
What disposal techniques are used in hospitals?
That’s a great question. When women experience the loss of a baby at a hospital, the hospital uses responsible disposal methods, which include standard burial options and, in some cases using medical waste bags. Many birthing centers do this as well.
In some states though, hospitals will dispose of a baby as medical waste when a woman experiences pregnancy loss. Some even do so without consulting the mother or allowing her to see her baby, negating the option to choose to bury or cremate her baby. This is not a right that should be taken from mothers who have experienced a pregnancy loss.
Why would the FDA approve abortion pills if they harm the environment?
When the FDA approved the use of mifepristone back in 2000, they examined the environmental impact that the packaging would have on the environment, however they didn’t investigate what the drug itself would do to the plant and animal ecosystem once it entered the sewer system. To address the issue, Students for Life of America are calling for new testing to be done of the wastewater.
The call for further environmental testing by this group, amongst others, underscores the need for comprehensive assessments of the abortion pill’s effects from production through waste disposal. As debates on reproductive rights continue, understanding and addressing these broader implications are crucial.