Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Do you know what the most trusted profession is?

If you said nursing, you'd be right! Year after year, polls show that nurses are ranked as the most trusted professionals. And since it's National Nurses Week, let's all take a moment to celebrate nurses — and more importantly, listen to what they have to say.

The nurses at Planned Parenthood health centers work every day to ensure that patients have access to compassionate care — and accurate information! Because the fact is, in an age of disinformation, nurses want YOU to know the facts, especially as medication abortion is facing a major threat.

Abortion opponents are using the courts to interfere with scientific research in an effort to restrict access to mifepristone, one of two pills commonly known as the abortion pill. But facts are facts, and the truth is that medication abortion is common, safe, and effective at ending an early pregnancy.

Every day, patients turn to nurses with their most personal, urgent questions. Here are some of the common questions nurses hear about abortion pills:

Question: Is medication abortion safe? Answer: Medication abortion is very safe -- serious complications happen in less than 1% of cases.

Millions of patients have used mifepristone and misoprostol for medication abortion for decades — and extensive research has proved it to be both safe and effective for the patients that choose to use it.

Question: Do you have to go in-person to a health center to receive an abortion?

Answer: In some states, patients can attend telehealth appointments to be prescribed medication abortion.

That's right — you can sometimes receive abortion medication like mifepristone and misoprostol without leaving your home via a telehealth appointment. What's more: you can receive medicines discreetly in the mail, making it even more accessible.

Question: Is mifepristone the same as the morning-after pill?

Answer: Nope! Abortion pills (like mifepristone and misoprostol) end an early pregnancy, while emergency contraception (like Plan B) prevents pregnancy from beginning.

You can take a morning-after pill like Plan B up to 5 days after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy — but if you become pregnant, medication abortion is effective to end pregnancy up to 11 weeks after the first day of your last period.

Question: Can providers test to see if you have used mifepristone to end a pregnancy?

Answer: Generally speaking, no one — including nurses or doctors — can tell if you've taken abortion pills. Any abortion pill symptoms you're having look the same as the symptoms of a miscarriage.

There's no test to look for abortion pills in your body. It's up to you to decide whether you want to tell your nurse or doctor about your abortion.

Nurses are absolutely crucial to protecting and expanding access to care — and sharing medically accurate information that helps us protect and preserve access to safe, effective care, like medication abortion.

Thank you to nurses for providing accurate, compassionate care!

— Planned Parenthood Federation of America

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