State senators, from left, Sylvia R. Garcia, D-Houston; Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth; Royce West, D-Dallas; Kirk Watson, D-Austin; and John Whitmire, D-Houston, greet abortion rights advocates to show they voted against HB2. AccuNet/AP
Alyssa Travino, center, of Edinburg wears a birth control bill box costume during a Planned Parenthood rally March 7 on the steps of the Capitol in Austin. AccuNet/AP
The FDA requires too high a dosage for medication abortions, provider says.
By Neven Jones
sac-ranger@alamo.edu
Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas opposes two of three parts of a new law that goes into effect Oct. 29 and has filed a lawsuit claiming that restricting the use of off-label drugs and requiring physicians to have hospital privileges are unnecessary, an executive with the organization told a class at this college Sept. 24.
Mara Posada, director of community relations for Planned Parenthood, explains March 8, 2012, ways certain laws invade women’s rights to privacy in abortion procedures. File
Mara Posada, director of communications for Planned Parenthood Trust of South Texas explained the reasoning behind the lawsuit filed Sept. 27 against the state of Texas in Federal Court, challenging two provisions of Texas House Bill 2.
Three parts of Texas HB 2 go into effect Oct. 29: abortions are banned at 20 weeks, physicians who provide abortions will need hospital privileges within 30 miles, and off-label use of drugs will be prohibited, Posada said.
Planned Parenthood opposes the restriction of off-label use of drugs and the requirement for hospital privileges.
When a new drug is introduced to the market, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves the dosage, Posada said.
Sometimes physicians find patients need less of the drug after it’s been on the market for a while; however, they can’t prescribe less because it would be considered off-label use, Posada said.
This happened with the drug Mifeprex used for medication abortions.
Physicians are now over-prescribing this medication and being forced to practice outdated medicine, Posada said.
Medication abortion can be done until nine weeks of pregnancy, she said.
It is less intrusive than having to go to the clinic and have the medical procedure done.
“The proponents of the bill were very much adamant that this was about the health and safety of women,” Posada said.
“When you get into the details of it, that’s not really the case.”
For more information visit http://www.plannedparenthood.org/south-texas/.
