DIY Home Remedies for Abortion is Dangerous, Not Effective

As soon as the Supreme Court decided to overturn Roe Vs. Wade on June 24, 2022, people went online to search for DIY or home remedies for abortion, despite the risks of self-managing the termination of a baby's life.

According to USA Today, Google searches for herbs like pennyroyal and parsley have had an uptick on the internet, alongside inquiries about DIY abortion. On social media sites like Facebook, Instagram or TikTok, herbal recipes for abortion are proliferating and gaining popularity because of anecdotal claims that these are effective in terminating a pregnancy.

Dr. Melissa Simon, an OBYGN at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said that it breaks her heart to know that many women are desperate for DIY home remedies for abortion knowing it "could potentially kill them" because the options have been cut off. The doctor is hoping that people do not take these home remedies seriously as it's not only dangerous and unregulated; it has also never been proven to work.

Botanical methods for abortion are poison

OBGYN Dr. Jen Gunter wrote in her piece on Substack that DIY abortions using herbal products are pervasive and popular because it appeals to the long-held notion that "natural" ancient remedies are safe and effective. However, she underscored that inducing abortion using botanicals is "quite literally poisons" to the body.

Pennyroyal, for example, is a mint herb that grows in U.S. and Europe. While there are historical accounts of its links to abortion during the period of Ancient Greece, there is no sufficient evidence supporting its viability to terminate a pregnancy in modern medicine. Too much ingestion of pennyroyal may actually lead to life-long liver or kidney damage.

Parsley, a very popular herb used for cooking, has also been touted as a home remedy for abortion on social media. However, one fact was omitted in the viral post in that the woman who inserted the herb into her body died of septic shock in 2018.

"Leaving parsley in the vagina for several days could cause an infection that could trigger contractions, but that could also cause sepsis," Gunter wrote in her piece.

Claims may have also resurfaced about taking vitamin C in large doses for several days to end a pregnancy. This may have arisen from a Russian journal published in 1966 that was not backed up by scientific methods. However, overdosing on vitamin C supplements will not lead to an abortion. Instead, it may cause stomach upset and diarrhea. It could also raise a woman's risk of developing kidney stones.

Poison Control Centers across America are reportedly monitoring data for emergency calls related to herbal poisoning due to DIY abortions.

The only approved abortion home remedy

Only two types of medications are FDA-approved for abortion and these are prescription drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. However, most states require the patient to take mifepristone at the doctor's clinic while they can take misoprostol on the second day at home.

These abortion pills, however, work for pregnancy below 11 weeks and restrictions are already in place in some states to further regulate the use of this pill. Reproductive health experts expect that more changes, in terms of policies and laws, will be underway in the next months as a result of the overturn.