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CWA Calls on FDA to Act After Another Woman Dies From Abortion Pill 9/22/2003 Surely women should not be treated as collateral damage in the pursuit of making abortion accessible. Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America (CWA) renewed its call for the FDA to withdraw its approval of the abortion pill RU-486 after reports of another woman’s death. Eighteen-year-old Holly Patterson died from an infection caused by fragments of her baby left in her uterus after she took RU-486 at a Planned Parenthood facility in California. The facility's procedure for administering RU-486, advertised on the Web site of Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, deviates from at least two of the FDA's requirements, that: 1) the drug not be used after 49 days gestation, and 2) the second drug in the regimen, misoprostol, be taken in a doctor’s office or clinic.
CWA, the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Christian Medical Association have challenged the FDA approval of RU-486 and its subsequent misuse by abortionists. The Citizen Petition details the numerous violations committed by the FDA in its approval of RU-486, along with descriptions of how abortionists continue to violate the insufficient requirements handed down by the FDA.
Monty Patterson, Holly’s father, speaks from first-hand experience on how these violations led to his daughter’s death. He told the San Francisco Chronicle, “The medical community treats this as a simple pill you take, as if you’re getting rid of a headache. The procedure, the follow-ups, it’s all too lackadaisical. The girl gets a pill. Then she’s sent home to do the rest on her own. There are just too many things that can go wrong.”
Since RU-486 received U.S. approval, Danco, the distributor of the drug, has reported 400 complications to the FDA. These include one woman who died from an ectopic pregnancy, another who suffered a heart attack, and two 15-year olds who contracted life-threatening infections. Another woman in Canada died from a bacterial infection.
“The FDA has the power to protect women from this dangerous drug,” stated Wendy Wright of CWA. “We grieve with the Patterson family over the loss of their daughter. Her parents – who wanted to be a part of her life and decisions – needlessly lost a daughter and grandchild, while Planned Parenthood pockets the fee and continues to fight against parental notification laws.”
“RU-486 has only one purpose – to kill a human being. But – as we have repeatedly warned – it also threatens women’s lives and health. Surely women should not be treated as collateral damage in the pursuit of making abortion accessible.”
For Information Contact: |
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Concerned Women for America 1015 Fifteenth St. N.W., Suite 1100 Washington, D.C. 20005 Phone: (202) 488-7000 Fax: (202) 488-0806 |
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