Arizona bill prevents taxpayer funded abortions, highlights discovery which reverses RU-486 effects

PHOENIX (Christian Examiner) -- An Arizona bill signed into law March 30 by Governor Doug Ducey requires physicians to disclose to women seeking a drug-induced abortion that the procedure could potentially be reversed, however, he emphasized the "main thrust of the bill was to make sure there weren't tax payer dollars involved in these procedures," according to Arizona Public Media.

In a statement released after the signing of S.B. 1318, Ducey said the legislation ensured no public funds were used for abortions "through Arizona's health care exchange." The law includes exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

"The American people overwhelmingly oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, and it's no different in Arizona, where we have long-standing policy against subsidizing them with public dollars," Ducey said.

But critics are targeting the new requirement regarding drug-induced abortions, saying claims of reversing medical abortions was "untested science."

However, Dr. Allan Sawyer testified before state legislators that he recently reversed a drug-induced abortion at 10 weeks pregnancy, according to the Associated Press.

Drug-induced (RU-486) abortion is a multi-step procedure that  uses a combination of two oral drugs over three days. On day one the first drug stops the production of progesterone, causing a baby's life-giving placenta to detach from the mother's uterus, cutting off oxygen and leaving the baby to starve to death in the womb. The second drug, given on the third day, initiates cramps and contractions which expel the baby.

If not successful in killing the baby this abortion procedure can cause abnormalities in the child.

Reversal is achieved by giving high and frequent injections of progesterone to counteract the RU-486, also known as mifepristone.

Pro-life physician George Delgado of San Diego, California, developed the protocol based on six cases and published his findings in the peer-reviewed The Annals of Pharmacotherapy in December 2012. He found the treatment was successful as late as 72 hours after a mother took the first drug and estimates this life-saving procedure will be successful about 90 percent of the time.

The mothers in his case studies gave birth to healthy babies.

Instead of shrinking because of critics attacks, Ducey has been firm that the new law improves "informed consent" and that it is better to have "more information rather than less."

According to AZCentral, the new abortion laws were supported by the Center for Arizona Policy, a group that has worked to establish restrictions on abortion for years.

A representative from the organization, Cathi Herrod, called the move "a good day for Arizona women" and called Ducey a "man of his word" for never shying away from being pro-life.

The bill passed the Senate and House mostly along party lines after a House committee amended the original legislation to include the drug-induced abortion provision.