Father of Teen Who Died From RU 486 Abortion to Meet FDA, Bush Officials 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
September 13, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The father of a California teenager, who died after taking the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug to induce abortion, will be in Washington, D.C. this week to meet with officials at the White House and the Food and Drug administration.
Monty Patterson said he hopes to bump up the level of safety standards required of abortion facilities that distribute the two-part abortion drug.
"My solemn duty is to inform families and help keep women safe," Patterson said.
Friday is the one-year anniversary of the death of Holly Patterson. Patterson died last year after using an abortion drug obtained from a San Francisco-area Planned Parenthood office. An autopsy report shows Holly died of an infection brought on by the abortion.
In February, the California Department of Health Services determined that Planned Parenthood failed to follow its own internal policies for informing women on how to use the RU 486 abortion drug that was responsible for Holly’s death.
The abortion business has also been accused of not following FDA protocols, including using wrong doses of the abortion drug and misusing an ulcer drug to cause a miscarriage of the dead baby.
On Wednesday, Patterson will meet with FDA officials, including Dr. Steven Galson, who recently prevented over the counter sales of the so-called "morning after pill."
Patterson says he will ask the FDA to require abortion practitioners and businesses to report any adverse side effects of women using the abortion drug to the agency.
"I think big changes have to be made certainly with consumer awareness and education. There has to be more accountability in how it’s administered," Patterson told the Contra Costa paper.
He will also be meeting with White House officials on Thursday. There, he also hopes to win support for stepping up safety measures as well as encouraging the Bush administration to make more information about RU 486’s risks and dangers to the public and in a faster manner.
Abortion advocates say the trip is just a ploy to make the abortion drug illegal.
"[Pro-life gorups] are trying to use Holly Patterson’s death as part of their agenda to make mifepristone unavailable to women in this country," said Vicki Saporta of the National Abortion Federation.
In response to Holly’s death, Monty and Helen Patterson endorsed legislation, tentatively called "Holly’s bill," that would suspend the FDA’s approval of the drug pending a Congressional review.
The bill is sponsored by South Carolina Republican Rep. Jim DeMint and has 84 co-sponsors. The Pattersons wrote a letter to Congress urging that the measure be approved. It has not yet received a vote.
On Saturday, Patterson is a featured speaker at the Concerned Women for America national convention.
Related web sites:
Monty and Helen Pattersons’ letter – https://www.LifeNews.com/nat192b.html
