Here's today's Washington Watch Daily commentary from FRC Radio:
I suppose when it comes to abortion, some countries are still waiting for their ship to come in. Well, in Europe they won’t have to wait long. According to reports, the Dutch government is lifting its three-year ban on the floating abortion clinic. In 2004, Dutch officials shut down the campaign, deciding that the “Women on Waves” Foundation was rocking the boat on international abortion policy. Last week, the new Dutch leaders reversed course—which means that Women on Waves could set sail as early as this month. When it does, the ship will be stocked with cases of abortion pills like RU-486 for women up to seven weeks pregnant. Since the ship is flown under a Dutch flag, women who live in countries with tighter abortion laws can come aboard. “Women on Waves” plans to dock as well. Among other things, they’ll provide abortion advice and contraceptives. Rebecca Gomperts, the director of the Foundation, says they’ve been in touch with organizations in several different countries. Considering the threat that RU-486 poses to women and children, the pro-life movement is going to need all hands on deck to throw this bad idea overboard.
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Comments (2)
Im not even going to bother looking at the link regarding RU-486. Ive heard it far too many times before - all the scare stories about women killed by it. But its never mentioned just how many times its used each year - statistically, its a very safe drug. France had it long before the US, as did some other European countries, they never had any problems. Even the scare stories are exagerations, often blaming the drug for a death when the actual cause was unrelated.
And please, stop calling it RU-486! That is not the name of the drug, its just the numerical identifier it was given while undergoing FDA review and approval. Its name is Mifepristone. Calling it by the numbers is just a transparent attempt to make it sound more intimidating.
In the US, since FDA approval was granted in 2000, the number of fatalities has been... eight. But of those eight, five were killed not by mifepristone, but by the follow-up drug misoprostol - used both in medical abortions, and to induce labor. Yet misoprostol never gets the blame. Even the darling child of the campaigners, Holly, died as a result of the use of misoprostol - and yet her name was used to campaign for banning mifepristone. Why? It makes no sense!
That leaves three cases remaining. Of those, one was the result of a complication caused by an undiagnosed ectopic pregnency. Unfortunate, but you cant blame the drug for that one.
So, two cases where the mifepristone caused death. Two. Out of all the times it was used in the US during seven years, a total of two fatalities.
If you consider that safety level risky enought to justify a ban, its time to prohibit the sale of Asprin.
May 7, 2007 10:09 AM | Comment Permalink
Suricou,
You are unfair to say that RU-486 is used in order to make the drug sound intimidating. It is used beause it is the term most readers will recognize -- like the FRC bloggers, most Americans are science-illiterate and couldn't tell you what chemicals distinguish mifepristone from aspirin, much less from misoprostol.
July 20, 2007 1:14 AM | Comment Permalink