Writer says abortionists are good at IUD insertion because they 'prioritize comfort'

A writer at liberal media outlet Slate recently claimed that the way for women to avoid pain upon IUD insertion is to get an abortionist to do it.

But is this just an effort to legitimize doctors who kill preborn children for a living?

Key Takeaways:

• A study found that 79% of al paraclervical blocks used in an IUD insertion were placed by a Complex Family Planning abortion trained doctor.

• Sarah Boden, writing for Slate, claimed that this means abortionists are better trained and "prioritize patient... comfort."

• Women who have undergone abortions have shared horrific stories about the pain they suffered at the hands of abortionists who did not care about their pain.

The Details:

Writing for Slate, Sarah Boden claimed that doctors who commit abortions are better at ensuring women receive pain management for IUDs than other doctors.

"... [I]f you want an IUD but are afraid of pain," wrote Boden, "the cheat code is to call up your local abortion provider."

Boden based this conclusion on a study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The researchers reviewed which clinicians were most likely to provide a paracervical block like lidocaine when placing an IUD by looking over the information of 1,153 women aged 15 to 50 who had an intrauterine device placed from 2019 to 2021 (1,153) "across a statewide health system in the Southeast."

Researchers found that "Most (67%;n.769) individuals were seen by Ob/Gyns and just over half were seen by physicians. Among patients seen by Ob/Gyn clinicians, 109 were seen by Complex Family Planning (CFP) subspecialists." According to the study, 79% of all paraclervical blocks were placed by a CFP-trained doctor.

Results indicated that "Less than half of the patients (41.7%) received medications before or during intrauterine device placement. Medication regimens used before and during intrauterine device placement varied by clinician specialty, clinician type, and clinic location."

Boden claims that this research proves that doctors who commit abortions care more than others about women's pain.

"Part of the reason that complex family planning residents are more likely to provide pain management for IUD placements comes down to training," wrote Boden. "For a first-trimester abortion that involves cervical dilation and suction, applying a paracervical block is standard. It was with this procedure that Danielle Tsevat, the lead author of the Chapel Hill study, learned how to administer it, which she told me is 'pretty straightforward and easy.' Because IUDs involve the same anatomy as a miscarriage or termination, the same pain management methods apply."

In that case, any OB/Gyn would be able to administer pain medication to the cervix, either topically or by injection, which are the two ways lidocaine can be administered.

Boden also claims that because women seeking abortions are facing "economic instability" or "domestic violence," abortionists have learned to "prioritize patients' autonomy and comfort."

The Other Side:

However, women who have undergone abortions have testified to the opposite. In fact, the lack of both compassion and pain relief they received from abortionists and abortion facility staff is eye-opening.

One woman who was forced to undergo an abortion said:

"The pain was horrible. I was crying uncontrollably. I was terrified for my sweet baby. While the nurses held my arms, my child was ripped from my body and my life changed forever."

Another woman wrote a Google review of her abortion experience, saying:

"[T]he abortion really hurt. Which I knew it was going to, but they told me they were going to give me something strong for the pain, but they didn't give me anything that made it not so painful during the procedure...

They are the most horrible people ever and even when I wanted to stop because they told me whenever I felt pain, we could stop for a little bit they wouldn't let me."

Yet another woman explained in an amicus brief to the Supreme Court:

"I was informed that [the abortion] wasn't going to hurt, and it was the most painful thing I ever experience [sic] to date. I remember the nurses telling me to be quiet so that I don’t scare the other patients."

Abortionists know that the women are in pain during abortions, but have admitted that they ignore their cries and complaints. One abortionist explained:

Doing the [abortions] may cause people pain; they are screaming in agony, but we just do what we do. In any other situation [it] would be considered torture but we do it, and you know, all of us just kind of pack it away.

But Boden maintains that abortion doctors are the most compassionate because Colleen Krajewski, a complex family planning abortionist who places IUDs, "offers patients a cup of tea," a habit she allegedly picked up while working at Planned Parenthood. “Any abortion recovery room I’ve ever been in has the good tea,” she claimed.

The Bottom Line:

The study noted that while "offering pain management with intrauterine device placement is recommended... no standardized protocol exists," (emphasis added) — which would seem like the most obvious recommended change for Boden to suggest, instead of ushering women to practitioners who kill defenseless human beings for a living.

Since these doctors kill and also have a history of ignoring women's pain, perhaps they aren't the best examples of compassion.