Medication Abortion Misinformation Bill Passes S.C. House Judiciary Committee

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Today the South Carolina House Judiciary Committee passed House Bill 4568, a medication abortion misinformation bill that would require providers to give patients information that is medically inaccurate and could potentially put patient lives at risk. The bill now advances to the House floor.

“South Carolina lawmakers should not be focused on interfering with medical best practices or a person’s decision about their pregnancy,” said Vicki Ringer, Director of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic. “People don’t turn to politicians for advice about their health care decisions like mammograms, prenatal care, or cancer treatments. Abortion is no different.”

Medication abortion now accounts for more than half of all U.S. abortions, according to new data from the Guttmacher Institute. In 2020, medication abortion accounted for 67.5% of all abortions in South Carolina. For more than 20 years, medication abortion has been a non-invasive, FDA-approved method to end an early pregnancy used by more than 4 million women across the country.

There is no scientific or medical evidence that proves that “stopping” a medication abortion is possible. A study launched in early 2019 to test this theory had to be halted early due to patient safety concerns, including a high risk of severe hemorrhaging.

The companion bill in the Senate, S. 907, has also advanced out of committee.

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