Chemical Abortions

How Chemical Abortions Are Done

Chemical abortions, misleadingly referred to as medical abortions, are induced by a combination of mifepristone and misoprostol.(1) The pregnant woman often takes the pills at home or in college housing.

Typically committed: 1st trimester

Preborn age: Up to 10 weeks

The pregnant woman often takes the pills at home or in college housing. The first drug kills the baby by starving him or her of oxygen and nutrients. The second drug causes the mother to go into delivery to expel the baby’s remains, the placenta, and large portions of blood.

63%

In 2023, abortion pills accounted for 63% of all US abortions, an increase from 53% in 2020.(2)

1. Progesterone is the hormone that protects the lining of the uterus. The first pill, mifepristone, blocks progesterone, causing the uterine lining to break down.

2. Mifepristone cuts off blood and nourishment from the baby. The goal is to starve the child in the womb to death.

3. 24-48 hours later, the second pill, misoprostol, is taken. It causes contractions that can create painful cramping and heavy bleeding to expel the baby.

4. Women will be told to miscarry at home over the toilet. If they (were to) look closely, they would see their dead child. Even at seven weeks, it is possible to see his or her fingers and toes.

5. Chemical abortions are often performed in residences, and the baby’s remains, placenta, and amniotic fluid are flushed down the drain. Hospitals and abortion facilities must comply with yellow bag waste disposal rules ensuring human tissues, fluids, blood, and other biohazards are properly disposed.

6. The woman has no way of knowing if she had a complete abortion since she cannot ensure that all pregnancy tissues have been expelled. This leaves her at risk of severe infection or even death.

The woman has no way of knowing if she had a complete abortion since she cannot ensure that all pregnancy tissues have been expelled. This leaves her at risk of a severe adverse effect like an infection or even death.

No state law can prevent doctors or emergency rooms from treating women for ectopic pregnancies, life-threatening complications, miscarriages, or botched abortions.

Chemical Abortions
are Dangerous

Incidence of Adverse Effects(3):

Severe Cases

According to a 2025 study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, 10.93% of women experience a severe adverse effect within 45 days of a chemical abortions including: sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, hospitalization, or surgical intervention, among others.

What about the environment?

Medical Waste Regulations vs. At Home Abortions

Surgical abortions are usually performed in medical facilities or clinics and can be done through all nine months of a pregnancy depending on local, state, or federal laws. There are several different procedures for surgical abortions, but they all result in the unborn baby being torn apart and removed from the womb. These human remains, along with the placenta and fluids that are passed after an abortion, are considered pathological and large tissue wastes. In a medical setting, they would “require incineration rather than sterilization as a final treatment,”(8) and would be put in a yellow bag for disposal.

The chemical abortion process is usually done at home with abortion pills and is described as “really heavy, crampy period, and the process is very similar to an early miscarriage.”(9) The FDA says chemical abortions can be performed up to 10 weeks after fertilization with the baby being about two inches in size (see image). The push for tele-health prescription abortions means that these abortions are not being performed in medical facilities that can safely handle and dispose of the human remains.(10)

During this form of abortion, women who take abortion pills at home "are very likely to pass the remains of [the] pregnancy into the toilet."(11) Unlike a medical facility with yellow bag waste rules, the baby, placenta, blood, and amniotic fluid get flushed down the drain. Wastewater treatment plants and septic systems aren't equipped to remove human remains, large tissues, or pharmaceuticals.

The Environmental Impact