Question: If one in 600 people eating broccoli had adverse reactions, what would the government do?
If you listen closely, you can hear the sounds of celebration as abortion advocates commemorate the 10th anniversary of the abortion drug coming to America. It was 10 years ago this week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a green light to Mifeprex®, also known by chemical names of RU-486 and mifepristone, for U.S. consumption.
Pro-life forces put up a good fight to keep the drug out of the U.S. Focus on the Family and other pro-life organizations engaged this issue early on in hopes of forming a successful strategy for keeping the drug out of the country – including a 1990 trip to Paris, France to visit the home office of the company that developed the drug. The message to Roussel Uclaf was simple: Bringing RU-486 to America would spark a firestorm of opposition.
Fast forward to January 1993 when newly elected president Bill Clinton began to fulfill his campaign promise to make the availability of RU-486 an administration priority. RU-486's highly political journey through government regulatory agencies is well documented, including the fast tracking the drug through a special approval process reserved for life-saving drugs.
The now-often quoted phrase, "Abortion should be safe, legal and rare," was coined by President Clinton, who ironically promoted abortion at every opportunity in his eight years in office. And, the legacy of RU-486 is anything but a reflection of safe and rare.
Since 2000, RU-486 has caused the deaths of at least 8 women in the U.S. and injured hundreds more.
In fact according to a 2006 government report, more than 1 in 600 women taking RU-486 had an adverse reaction; one quarter of those were hospitalized, most frequently for blood transfusion.
Think about that. If 1 in 600 people eating broccoli had adverse reactions, the green vegetable would probably be removed from the market. Abortion continues to enjoy political protection, evidenced by a drug that we know puts women's health at risk.
And women aren't the only ones put at risk by RU-486. It's estimated that nearly one million preborn children have been killed by the drug in the last ten years, and the number is growing each year.
As a new twist, Iowa's Planned Parenthood is now dispensing the drug in rural areas via video teleconference with the use of a remote controlled drawer to release the pill with no doctor present — despite the fact that FDA protocol for the drug requires a physician to be able to date the pregnancy, diagnose a tubal pregnancy and ensure the woman has access to emergency care. Such "telemedicine" will be a new strategy for the abortion industry so look for it in your state in the days to come.
So much for safe and rare.
Contact: Carrie Gordon Earll
Date Published: September 30, 2010
