One of the most important differences between our pre-Roe past and our post-Roe present is the existence of medication abortion. Abortion pills now allow patients to receive care entirely via telemedicine. They also safely allow people to end their own pregnancies without medical assistance, a process known as self-managed abortion. Thanks to abortion pills, abortions now classified as “illegal” can be medically safe. The significance of this cannot be overstated: Despite its stubborn ubiquity as a protest symbol, gone are the days of the coat hanger. That is, as long as people who are capable of becoming pregnant know about…
Pregnancy
Abortion Bans Could Jeopardize Cancer Treatment for Pregnant Patients
As abortion bans go into effect across a contiguous swath of the South, cancer physicians are wrestling with how new state laws will influence their discussions with pregnant patients about what treatment options they can offer. Cancer coincides with roughly 1 in 1,000 pregnancies, most frequently breast cancer, melanoma, cervical cancer, lymphomas, and leukemias. But medications and other treatments can be toxic to the developing fetus or cause birth defects. In some cases, hormones that are supercharged during pregnancy fuel the cancer’s growth, putting the patient at greater risk. Although new abortion restrictions often allow exceptions based on “medical emergency”…