Web Cam Abortions Expand RU 486 Abortions Dramatically in Iowa

Iowa is the state where Planned Parenthood of the Heartland introduced web cam abortions as a pilot program with the intent of spreading this practice nationwide. The goal: increase the number of abortions in rural America.

What is a web cam abortion? Here’s the way it works in Iowa. The abortionist is in Des Moines and the woman seeking the abortion is at a Planned Parenthood family planning facility in — say — Storm Lake. The abortionist and the woman talk about the abortion via web cam. The woman has not been physically examined by a doctor and there is no doctor present. When the abortionist decides the woman can have her abortion, the abortionist pushes a button in Des Moines. A drawer opens at the Storm Lake clinic which contains the RU 486 abortion pill and the pill that expels the baby from the mother’s body. The woman then takes the RU 486 pill while the abortionist watches.

A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health analyzes the use of web cam abortions (referred to as telemedicine) in Iowa and concludes that: “[T]he proportion of abortions in the [Planned Parenthood] clinics that were medical increased from 46% to 54% after telemedicine was introduced….women living farther than 50 miles from the nearest clinic offering surgical abortion were more likely to obtain an abortion after telemedicine introduction.” Because web cam abortions were being phased in as this study was taking place, the extent of web cam abortions may actually be higher.

As a comparison, RU 486 abortions in Iowa comprise 45.3% of all abortions. In Wisconsin, RU 486 abortions comprise 24% of all abortions.

Web cam abortions continue in Iowa and have spread to Rochester, Minnesota and other locations. Here’s the great news — NOT IN WISCONSIN. In one of the most important laws enacted in Wisconsin under the leadership of Wisconsin Right to Life, web cam abortions are prohibited in our state. Many thanks again to Senator Mary Lazich and Rep. Michelle Litjens for authoring and leading the charge to enact this important life-saving, woman-protecting law.

Barbara Lyons