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An anarchist collective is sharing what it says are video instructions for DIY abortion pills following the revelation that the Supreme Court backs the overturn Roe against Wade.
A video from the Four Vinegar Thieves Collective, a group that claims to teach people to “make their own medicine,” instructs abortion seekers on how to make misoprostol and mifepristone, two of the most common drugs used to induce abortions. . The video was first posted by collective leader Mixael Laufer last year following the passage of a Texas law that banned most abortions after six weeks, according to Vice.
monday night politico The release of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s leaked draft majority opinion, which would effectively remove federal protections of abortion rights if made final, prompted Laufer and others to reiterate re-share video on social networks.
In the video, Laufer says that misoprostol is 85 percent effective in inducing abortions and explains that homemade pills can be made by obtaining the active ingredient from veterinary medicine, since the drug is used to treat ulcers in the horses.
Neither the safety nor the efficacy of homemade pills are clear. Even legitimately manufactured versions of the drugs have potential side effects that can include excessive bleeding and require emergency medical attention.
In a 2018 blog post published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, pharmaceutical chemist Derek Lowe discussed an earlier problem Vice article on the Four Vinegar Thieves Collective and called their efforts to teach DIY medicine making “largely nonsense.”
Laufer points out in the homemade abortion pills video that “there are a lot of established organizations that do a really good job of helping you get an abortion if you need one,” adding that using an established, legal source was “probably your best option.” «
When purchased from legitimate sources, misoprostol is usually taken in combination with mifepristone, a medication that is more difficult to manufacture at home due to the greater difficulty in obtaining its active ingredient. Laufer said the effectiveness increased to 95 percent when the two drugs were used together.
Health care providers like Planned Parenthood can provide assistance to those seeking abortions in finding typically manufactured and regulated versions of the same drugs, though a course can cost $150 or more and restrictions in various states can make it difficult to obtain the drugs.
Some groups are also working to mail legitimate pills to areas where they may be difficult or impossible to obtain, with financial assistance widely available. There are at least 26 states that are likely or certain to ban abortion if Roe against Wade cancels out, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
news week contacted Planned Parenthood and Four Vinegar Thieves Collective for comment.