US abortion ruling threatens access to arthritis drug

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Our Rights DC Retweeted

Have you all seen this? We need to get the word out:

Melissa went to pick up her regular prescription for rheumatoid arthritis last week, and was told the drug was "on hold" while the pharmacist checked she wasn't going to use it to induce an abortion.
https://news.yahoo.com/us-abortion-ruling-threatens-access-011837332.html

Link to tweet

news.yahoo.com
US abortion ruling threatens access to arthritis drug
When Alabama nurse Melissa went to pick up her regular prescription for rheumatoid arthritis last week, she was told the drug was "on hold" while the

Link to tweet

AFP

US abortion ruling threatens access to arthritis drug

Issam AHMED
Thu, July 7, 2022, 9:18 PM · 4 min read

When Alabama nurse Melissa went to pick up her regular prescription for rheumatoid arthritis last week, she was told the drug was "on hold" while the pharmacist checked she wasn't going to use it to induce an abortion. ... "He said, 'Well I have to verify if you're on any contraceptives to prevent pregnancy.' The hell you do," she recalled thinking.

Melissa -- who is in her early forties and asked to be identified only by her first name for fear that speaking out might affect her livelihood -- then called her doctor, who succeeded in having the pharmacy in the southern US state release the medicine. ... "I picked it up a couple hours later, but I felt violated," she told AFP, explaining she had had a hysterectomy six years ago, and that her lack of recent contraceptive history may have led the pharmacist to suspect she was pregnant.

Stories of people facing similar struggles have come to light in the weeks since the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24, highlighting an overlooked consequence of new state-level bans or severe restrictions on abortion. ... It's not yet clear how widespread the cases are, but national organizations including the Lupus Foundation of America and the American College of Rheumatology said they were aware of such concerns and asking people affected to come forward.

"The Arthritis Foundation supports unencumbered access to and coverage of FDA-approved drugs for managing arthritis in alignment with scientific and clinical guidelines, as well as evidence-based medical recommendations," the organization said. ... The issue centers on methotrexate, a drug which tempers inflammation and is commonly used against autoimmune conditions including inflammatory arthritis, psoriasis and lupus.

{snip}

[Walleye]

1. I am guessing men have no trouble getting the drug

Not that anything about any of this is in any way fair

[lark]

2. Anti-abortionists don't care about them, the cruelty to women is the point.

Controllling women through their reproduction has long been a feature to many men and hurting women is the point. That non-pregnant women get hurt is of no concern to them because it won't affect the rich legislators or their families, only the poor and working class that they hate.

[Emile]

3. This right wing Christian fascist pharmacist needs to lose their license!

[dlk]

7. This would seem to violate HIPAA

The customer’s diagnosis should be private.

[patphil]

4. Methotrexate used to be used as an anti-cancer drug.

I know because the company I worked for, Lederle, produced it. And, as a Quality Control chemist, I performed tests on the drug to verify it was properly produced, and was acceptable for sale.
It's no longer prescribed as part of a chemotherapy regimen to treat cancer, but is now used to treat Rheumatoid Arthritis. The dosage is much lower, to minimize the considerable side effects.
I don't think it was ever intended to be used to induct an abortion, but there is a warning that it shouldn't be used by pregnant women, since it might harm the fetus.
If this drug is blocked from use, it could have a devastating effect on those people who use it to treat their arthritis.

It's just another "side effect" of the Republicans war on women.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

9. .

I don't think it was ever intended to be used to induct an abortion

It's not. Mifepristone and misoprostol are the drugs used in medication abortions. The point is, it COULD be, and that status is being used to harass people.

[Scrivener7]

11. I think it is still used for some rare forms of T cell lymphoma.

[Frances]

5. The fault lies with the Supreme Court and Alabama laws

Not the pharmacist who could be prosecuted for contributing to an abortion
But publicizing the story is a good thing.

[Eugene]

6. Another case from North Carolina...

A Doctor Just Declined To Prescribe This Patient Their Arthritis Treatment Because It Could Hurt A Fetus That Doesn't Even Exist (BuzzFeed)

Mortellus is a 40-year-old author and mortician living in rural North Carolina. They are a practicing necromancer and witch, and they also have rheumatoid arthritis.

Recently, they shared on Twitter that their doctor is refusing to continue prescribing the common arthritis medication methotrexate to them because it can also be used for abortion. To be clear, they are NOT currently or planning to become pregnant.

Link to tweet

https://www.buzzfeed.com/meganeliscomb/carolina-doctor-wont-prescribe-methotrexate

[Staph]

8. I take methotrexate for RA as well.

I will pitch a serious fit if they try to delay my prescription!

[yorkster]

10. Hard to keep up with the number of things

to be righteously furious about. Jeezus.

Feels like we are on the hairy edge.