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Congress Considers Pulling Abortion Drug RU-486 From Market

2006-02-03 -- WDC Media News

Congress is considering legislation that would force the abortion drug RU-486 off the market. The drug has reportedly caused at least eight deaths since 2000. Under the bill, the drug would at the very least be withdrawn temporarily from the market so its effects could be reviewed by the U.S. comptroller general.

The measure, which is now being debated in committee in the House and Senate, comes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) failed to take any action following the RU-486 deaths, including the highly publicized death of an 18-year-old California woman. Holly Patterson died of septic shock a week after she was given the drug at a Planned Parenthood clinic.

In addition to the eight confirmed deaths, the drug has caused more than 800 instances of adverse side effects, including heavy bleeding.

U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD) argued that the FDA caved in to pressure during the Clinton Administration and prematurely approved RU-486. “What this bill asks is to withdraw the drug from the market and put it through the usual approval procedures to see if it passes muster,” Bartlett was quoted by Family News in Focus.

Janet Morana of the pro-life group Priests for Life said that were RU-486 to go through the proper FDA channels, it would be quickly pulled from the market. “All the adverse effects that have been documented thus far need to be investigated and documented," she told family News in Focus. “And if any drug had caused eight deaths thus far, it wouldn’t be on the market still.”

Morana said that taking RU-486 is like ingesting poison, and the drug should definitely be pulled. The FDA has no immediate comment.

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