As the legislative session for 2019 was in its last days, SB67, a bill requiring notification to patients that the effects of a medication abortion may be reversible was vetoed by the governor and we faced a vote to override her veto.
I originally voted for the bill as it seemed reasonable and certainly left choice up to the woman. During our April break, I heard from several people asking about my vote on the bill. I was informed of conflicting information and I set out to further research the implications of the bill. I spoke with proponents as well as critics of the procedure, physicians, and researched articles and reports.
The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists opposes the concept of abortion pill reversal. The most helpful article for me was in the New England Journal of Medicine, Legislating Without Evidence. It cites reviews that question the efficacy of the procedure specified in SB67. This raised even more concerns on my part that the Kansas legislature was playing doctor in areas it did not fully understand.
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