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First, Andy Scott chipped the opening goal past Paul Musselwhite after 51 minutes.
But the home fans, celebrating the chance of usurping United at the top of the League Two table, were silenced in less than 60 seconds when Steve Torpey rammed in the equaliser from Matt Sparrow's cross.
But play had hardly restarted when referee Paul Melin showed Stanton a straight red-card, after appearing to kick out at Orient's goalscorer Scott.
United were then on the back foot until the final whistle, yet could have snatched a late win through Cleveland Taylor.
Boss Laws said: "We have had to defend very well, there is no doubt about that.
"The goal they got from Scott made me wonder whether he was trying to float it to the far post. If he had gone for goal then great, it was worthy of putting them in front.
"Our goal cooled the situation, and put them on the back foot again.
"Yet there have been two goals and a sending off in little more than two minutes, and that just about killed off the game.
"Yet in the end we could have just about snatched it, and that really would have been a snatch.
"Stanton's loss for three games is going to be a massive blow for us. At worst it probably needed a yellow card to settle things down."
Orient boss Martin Ling felt his side should have gone on to press home their one-man advantage, and take all three points.
He said: "It was two points lost rather than one gained. We asked them enough questions, especially in the second-half, to have won the game.
"I didn't think we had the temprot and purpose in the first-half, I thought we did in the second-half though.
"The old adage about being at your most vulnerable when you've just scored proved true.
"Looking down at our side, not everybody turned up."