FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2023
National Association of Pro-Life Nurses
Contact: media@nursesforlife.org
National Nurses Group Decries Supreme Court Failure to Protect Women's Health in Chemical Abortion Ruling
WASHINGTON— The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN), a member organization of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, decries the Supreme Court's recent decision as a failure to protect women's health and safety. “This ruling is a devastating blow to women's health, ignoring the mounting evidence of the significant risks associated with these drugs,” said Dorothy Kane, President of NAPN.
Chemical abortions, often marketed as a safe and convenient option, carry substantial risks, including severe bleeding, infection, and incomplete abortion, which can lead to life-threatening complications. “Nurses are front-line witnesses to the devastating impact of these drugs,” said Kane. “The elimination of in-person doctor visits endangers women, particularly those at risk for ectopic pregnancies.”
Kane emphasized, “Chemical abortions, involving drugs like mifepristone and misoprostol, are not without risk. These risks include severe bleeding, infection, incomplete abortion requiring surgery, and even death. The lack of adequate medical supervision and follow-up care further exacerbates these dangers, particularly for vulnerable women in underserved communities.”
The rise in chemical abortions also raises concerns about the diagnosis and treatment of ectopic pregnancies, a life-threatening condition. With up to 1 in 50 pregnancies being ectopic, potentially over 12,000 cases annually, the lack of proper medical oversight with chemical abortions could delay diagnosis and treatment, endangering women's lives.
NAPN believes that every woman deserves compassionate, comprehensive, and ongoing in-person care throughout her pregnancy and beyond, especially when taking high-risk drugs. “The Supreme Court's ruling disregards the importance of this continuous care and prioritizes political agendas over patient safety,” said Kane.
“We are deeply concerned about the impact this decision will have on women's health and the integrity of the healthcare profession,” said Kane. “We urge lawmakers to prioritize the safety and well-being of women over political expediency, while working towards a higher standard of patient care that includes robust informed consent and ongoing medical supervision for all women considering abortion.”
The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses is a professional organization uniting nurses who are dedicated to promoting respect for every human life from conception to natural death, and affirming that the destruction of that life, for whatever reason and by whatever means, does not constitute good nursing practice.
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Photo: Noah Slayter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 01, 2023
National Association of Pro-Life Nurses
Contact: media@nursesforlife.org
National Nurses Association Condemns Arizona’s Expected Repeal of Pro-Life Law
Phoenix, Arizona – The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN) is expressing deep disappointment over the Arizona state legislature’s decision to repeal its longstanding pro-life law. This misguided move threatens to compromise the standard of ethical care by undermining the fundamental principles that guide the nursing profession.
Background: Arizona’s pro-life law provides essential protections for women and their preborn children through common-sense abortion limits. Now, radical abortion extremists are pushing for abortion on-demand through all nine months of pregnancy in Arizona.
Impact on Patient Care: The repeal of this law will have far-reaching consequences for women’s health in Arizona. Here’s how:
- Medical Ethics: The Arizona pro-life law upholds the highest ethical standards by ensuring that medical professionals prioritize life-saving interventions over extreme pro-abortion mandates. Its repeal could open the door to unfettered abortion access, compromising patient safety, and enabling abuse from a profit-driven abortion industry.
- Patient Trust: Patients rely on healthcare providers to act in their best interests. The repeal undermines the emotional, physical, and psychological well-being of patients.
- Healthcare Disparities: Vulnerable populations, including women facing crisis pregnancies, may now encounter disparities in access to comprehensive healthcare. The repeal disproportionately affects those who lack resources or face socioeconomic challenges by pushing abortion as a ‘band-aid’ solution.
NAPN Board Member and Communications Director Felipe Avila, issued the following statement on behalf of the association:
“The repeal of Arizona’s pro-life law is a disheartening setback for patient care. By removing essential protections for women and their preborn children, we risk compromising the very principles that guide our profession. We urge Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs to consider the profound impact this decision will have on the lives of women and children. Healthcare should be rooted in compassion, respect, and genuine care of all people, not a discriminatory and arbitrary definition of when life begins.”
The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses is a professional organization uniting nurses who are dedicated to promoting respect for every human life from conception to natural death, and affirming that the destruction of that life, for whatever reason and by whatever means, does not constitute good nursing practice.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, March 21, 2024
Contact: Felipe Avila, Communications Director
Email: felipe@nursesforlife.org
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PRO-LIFE NURSES JOINS ASSOCIATION CHALLENGING CHEMICAL ABORTION IN LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE
Washington, D.C. — The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN) has proudly joined the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, an association of medical organizations suing the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its reckless removal of essential safeguards for the use of chemical abortion drugs.
The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, other medical organizations, and individual doctors argue that the FDA’s actions not only blatantly disregard established protocols for drug safety but also gravely jeopardize women’s health. This case now heads to the Supreme Court asking that the Court hold the FDA accountable for its callous disregard for women’s health and safety.
The lawsuit, brought forth by the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and others, highlights the following concerns:
- Removal of safety standards: The FDA removed safeguards for mifepristone and misoprostol, even though its own label states that nearly 1 in 25 women who consume these drugs will end up going to an emergency room.
- Increased patient risks: The removal of abortion drug safety standards could lead to a greater number of complications, including hemorrhage, life-threatening infection, and incomplete abortions.
- Lack of informed consent: Remote prescription practices and the elimination of in-person doctor visits endanger women, particularly those at risk for ectopic pregnancies.
NAPN President Dorothy Kane issued the following statement on behalf of the organization:
“Nurses are on the front lines witnessing the serious harms to women caused by the FDA’s reckless removal of essential safeguards for the use of chemical abortion drugs. Women deserve the ongoing, in-person care of a medical professional when taking high-risk drugs. The FDA has compromised patient safety and shown a callous disregard for women’s health and safety. This case is about safeguarding women's health, protecting the integrity of the healthcare profession, and committing to evidence-based care.”
For more information on the legal case, visit Alliance Defending Freedom, the legal organization representing the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine: https://adflegal.org/case/us-food-and-drug-administration-v-alliance-hippocratic-medicine
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The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN) is dedicated to promoting respect for every human life from conception to natural death, and to affirming that the destruction of that life, for whatever reason and by whatever means, does not constitute good nursing practice.
Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 7, 2023
National Association of Pro-Life Nurses
Contact: media@nursesforlife.org
Ohio's Issue 1 Vote Marks a Temporary Setback, Not a Surrender
Columbus, Ohio – The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses (NAPN) is expressing deep disappointment over the passage of Ohio's extreme, deceptive abortion initiative. Despite the passage of Issue 1, NAPN remains committed to upholding ethics in healthcare practice.
Issue 1 undermines common-sense health and safety protections by lowering the standard of care in Ohio. Its passage will enshrine discriminatory abortion practices into the state’s constitution, including for reasons of gender or disability. Further, the ballot initiative will expand abortion into the third trimester, when a preborn child is capable of feeling pain. Issue 1 is radically out of touch with the 7 in 10 Americans who support common-sense abortion limits after 15 weeks. NAPN firmly believes in upholding the principles of compassion, empathy, and respect for all human life, echoing the fundamental principles of the nursing profession.
Executive Director Marie Ashby, on behalf of the NAPN, stated, “While we are deeply concerned by the passage of extreme, anti-life legislation, it does not diminish our resolve to protect human life in all its stages. We must continue to support families facing unexpected pregnancies through pregnancy resource clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers. NAPN remains steadfast in advancing a higher standard of patient care, which is fundamentally incompatible with abortion.”
NAPN will continue to push back against healthcare disinformation, as it paves the path forward for excellence in nursing practice. The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses calls upon policymakers to consider the profound ethical implications of legislation that erodes patient protections. The association stands ready to counter public health threats by educating lawmakers and healthcare providers on policies that seek to undermine patient care.
The National Association of Pro-Life Nurses is a not-for-profit organization uniting nurses who are dedicated to promoting respect for every human life from conception to natural death, and to affirming that the destruction of that life, for whatever reason and by whatever means, does not constitute good nursing practice.
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Federal Judge Blocking North Dakota Law Informing Women of abortion pill reversal
September 2019
The National Association of Pro-life Nurses (NAPN) joins the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Heartbeat International and the Alliance Defending Freedom in responding to the September 13, 2019 decision by a federal judge granting the American Medical Association’s (AMA) motion for a temporary injunction blocking the new North Dakota law requiring doctors to inform women seeking medical pill abortions about abortion reversal if they change their minds.
Already, 8 other states have passed abortion pill reversal informed consent laws with at least 750 babies saved.
The AMA’s position is that this information is a “government mandated message that they would not otherwise recite and refer their patients to government-created materials and government-sanctioned referrals about an experimental medical treatment that has not been proven safe and effective or approved by the FDA, that violates accepted ethical standards and best practices in medical care, that undermines Physicians’ ability to provide their patients with the highest standard of medical care, and that contradicts Physicians’ viewpoints.” (Emphasis added)
In reality, the abortion reversal drug progesterone is a natural pregnancy hormone to grow the placenta and provide nourishment for the unborn baby. It is sometimes given to pregnant women who have or have had bleeding, miscarriage, infertility or other problems as well as routinely with in vitro fertilization.
In medical pill abortions, the first abortion drug mifepristone blocks this natural progesterone while the second abortion drug misoprostol is usually taken by the woman 36-72 hours later to cause expulsion of the unborn baby.
If progesterone is given before the second abortion pill, the chances of the baby surviving increase from 25% (the survival rate without natural progesterone) to 68% (the average survival rate after giving natural progesterone). The timing between the first and second drug is the crucial window where abortion reversal if possible.
There is even a website at www.abortionpillreversal.com for information on abortion reversal that includes a hotline phone number at 1-877-558-0333.
But unfortunately, this is critical information that Planned Parenthood and the AMA apparently don’t want women to get.
It is ironic that the abortion industry constantly proclaims that the public should just “trust women” when it comes to abortion but apparently it does not trust women with the truly informed consent required before any other treatment or procedure.
Marie Ashby, Executive Director of National Association of Pro-life Nurses can be reached at executivedirectornapn@gmail.com
Nancy Valko, RN ALNC Spokesperson for the National Association of Pro-Life Nurses
[📞] (314) 504-5208
nancyvalko abortion, AMA, law, medical ethics
PALLIATIVE care and hospice education and training act (2019) H.R. 647, S.2080
The National Association of Pro-life Nurses joins the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition USA and the Healthcare Advocacy Leadership Organization (HALO) in opposing the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (2019) H.R. 647, S.2080. (HALO has issued an action alert with the contact numbers for legislators on the Senate committee considering this bill.)
As nurses, we strive to care for our seriously ill, disabled and terminally ill patients with compassion and the highest ethical standards. We applaud the medical innovations and supportive care options that can help our patients attain the highest quality of life possible.
However now many of us nurses are now seeing unethical practices such as assisted suicide, terminal sedation (with withdrawal/withholding of food, water and critical medicines), voluntary stopping of eating, drinking and even spoon feeding, etc. used to cause or hasten death but often called palliative, "comfort" or routine hospice care for such patients.
We believe that the Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (2019) will allow federal funding to teach and institutionalize such unethical practices without sufficient oversight, safeguards or penalties.
For example, the Section 5 Clarifications (p. 21) against federal funding for objectionable practices "furnished for the purpose of causing, or the purpose of assisting in causing, a patient’s death, for any reason" is toothless. Such practices are already considered acceptable by many influential hospice and palliative care doctors like Dr. Timothy Quill, a board-certified palliative care physician, 2012 president of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and promoter of legalizing physician-assisted suicide and terminal sedation.
It is also disturbing the Compassion and Choice, the largest and best funded organization promoting assisted suicide and other death decisions, has a mission statement stating:
"We employ educational training programs, media outreach and online and print publications to change healthcare practice, inform policy-makers, influence public opinion and empower individuals."
and a “Federal Policy Agenda / 2016 & Beyond” goal to:
“Establish federal payment for palliative care consultations provided by trained palliative care professionals who will advocate for and support the values and choices of the patient…." (All emphasis added)
As nurses, we are also very concerned that the Act contains no conscience rights protection for those of us-doctors and nurses alike-who will do anything for our patients except deliberately end their lives or help them kill themselves.
Many of us have already faced threats of termination of employment for refusing to participate in unethical, life-ending practices without support from our nursing organizations like the American Nurses Association that recently dropped their traditional opposition to physician-assisted suicide and voluntary stopping of eating and drinking.
For the sake of protecting our patients, the integrity of our medical and nursing professions as well as our healthcare system, we urge the public and our congressional representatives to oppose this dangerous Act.
