Iowa Legislature Passes Bill to Ban Mail-Order Abortions

The Iowa Senate has passed legislation to ban mail-order abortion-inducing drugs, requiring in-person medical examinations to protect women’s health and safeguard unborn children from chemical abortions.

House File 2563 passed the Senate on a 30-11 vote. The House approved the measure Friday, and it now heads to the governor.

The legislation mandates that drugs such as mifepristone and misoprostol be prescribed and dispensed only after an in-person visit with a physician. It prohibits unauthorized distribution of the medications and clarifies that treatments for miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies cannot be construed as abortions under state law.

This will help save babies from abortions by limiting abortion pill sales and protect women’s health because abortion pills can kill or injure women, especially without an in-person doctor visit beforehand to determine the age of the baby and rule out an ectopic pregnancy.

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Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, argued the measure protects women, citing the potential to access unknown “poison” on the internet without adequate information about safety and side effects.

Maggie DeWitte, executive director of Pulse Life Advocates, said the bill restores key safeguards from when the drugs were first introduced.

“When this was first introduced in 2000, it required three in-person visits, it could only be dispensed by a physician, and required follow-up reporting of adverse events. This bill would restore some of those initial safeguards, such as an in-person physical examination,” she said.

Rep. Devon Wood, R-New Market, stated, “I think we really do need to take a serious look at making sure that access to medication like this is not from an unlicensed, unregulated source from who knows where.”

Sen. Cherilynn Westrich, R-Ottumwa, said during debate, “I believe that killing a human life is a big deal, and it needs to be a big deal.”

The measure comes as Iowa has seen a sharp decline in abortions following the state’s heartbeat law, which took effect July 29, 2024. State vital statistics show total abortions fell 35 percent from 2023 to 2024, to 1,792 baby-killing abortions.

Drug-induced abortions, which accounted for 81 percent of the total in 2024, decreased by 25 percent.

A recent analysis of commercial insurance claims involving 865,727 mifepristone prescriptions from 2017 to 2023. It found 94,605 women — nearly 11% — suffered serious complications within 45 days, including hemorrhage in 3.31% of cases, emergency room visits in 4.73%, and sepsis in 0.10%.

Peer-reviewed research found three quarters of ER visits within 30 days after abortion drug use were coded as severe or critical. Two separate, independent studies also found more than 1 in 10 women experience at least one severe adverse event. Complications can include hemorrhaging, infection, sepsis, and even death.

Other issues encompassed infections, transfusions, hospitalizations and life-threatening events like cardiac problems or anaphylaxis. In nearly 3% of cases, the drug failed, requiring surgical follow-up. Multiple women have died from the abortion pill.

A large national poll found 7 in 10 voters want to roll back Biden’s mail-order abortion drug rule and reinstate safeguards like in-person doctor visits.

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