(C) Daily Montanan This story was originally published by Daily Montanan and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Montana resolution to study abortion pill scheduled, cancelled – Daily Montanan [1] ['Keila Szpaller', 'More From Author', '- April'] Date: 2023-04-25 The same day the U.S. Supreme Court said the abortion pill will remain legal while a lawsuit goes through an appeal, a Montana legislator’s proposal to study the pill was referred to committee. Sponsored by Montana Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, R-Great Falls, House Joint Resolution 33 says medical procedures of all types carry the risk of complications. It calls for a study of abortion via medical procedure and medication. “A woman who terminates a pregnancy may experience both physical health and mental health complications related to the abortion,” reads the draft resolution. The Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy nonprofit that advocates for reproductive rights, describes the medication as safe and effective and said it has been so for more than two decades. The joint resolution had been scheduled to be heard Tuesday in the House Judiciary Committee, but the hearing was cancelled. Friday is the deadline for study resolutions to be sent to a second chamber. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved mifepristone, the abortion pill, in 2000. It’s one of two drugs used in a medication abortion. The ruling from the Supreme Court comes after a U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas essentially overturned the FDA’s approval in early April, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals placed a partial hold on the decision. The Montana legislative tracking site notes the draft resolution was requested in December, but it didn’t start moving until early April. In a statement prior to the hearing cancellation, Planned Parenthood of Montana made note of the timing. “This is a last-ditch effort at the eleventh hour of the legislation session to further stigmatize abortion care, patients and providers,” said Planned Parenthood. “Abortion care is safe — this legislative body should turn its attention to the very real problems facing Montana’s families and communities.” Guttmacher estimates more than half of abortions are completed with medication. The institute’s census shows 53% of U.S. abortions were medication in 2020, the first year the medication “crossed the threshold” to become the majority of all abortions and a “significant jump” from 39% in 2017. Preliminary data from February 2022 show 54% of abortions are done by medication, according to Guttmacher. “This new data point powerfully illustrates that medication abortion has gained broad acceptance from both abortion patients and providers,” Guttmacher said in a policy analysis about the trends. The joint resolution calls for a study of the following: how abortion affects “a woman’s future ability to conceive and to carry a pregnancy to full term,” the short- and long-term physical effects of abortion and recovery, and the short- and long-term mental health effects, “including but not limited to suicidal tendencies and emotional trauma.” This session, the legislature has passed laws to restrict abortion. Also, under the Republican Gianforte Administration, the Department of Public Health and Human Services changed a rule to add requirements for people who use Medicaid and have abortions and to disallow some health care professionals, such as nurse practitioners, from providing that care. Abortion is legal in Montana through Armstrong vs. State. In that case, the Montana Supreme Court found people’s constitutionally protected right to privacy includes abortion. It wasn’t clear if a hearing still would be scheduled on the resolution. [END] --- [1] Url: https://dailymontanan.com/2023/04/25/montana-resolution-to-study-abortion-pill-scheduled-cancelled/ Published and (C) by Daily Montanan Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/montanan/