Father of Teen Who Died From Abortion Drug: New FDA Warning Not Enough 
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 16, 2004
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) — The father of a California teenager who died last year as a result of using the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug says expanded warnings announced by the FDA yesterday for the drug are insufficient to protect young women like his daughter.
Monty Patterson, father of Holly Patterson, told the New York Times he was glad the FDA expanded the labels saying, "Holly did not die in vain." However, he said the action was not enough.
"How many more deaths is it going to take before the FDA takes action to remove this drug from the market," Patterson asked.
"I’m not convinced this drug is safe and I still think it should be banned," he added.
Holly Patterson died in September 2003 after receiving the Mifeprex abortion drug from a Planned Parenthood facility near San Francisco. An autopsy report shows Holly died of an infection brought on by the abortion.
Monty met with FDA officials in September, near the anniversary of Holly’s death, to discuss stronger enforcement of safety regulations.
Until Monday, Holly’s death was thought to be the second from using the abortion drugs, but the FDA announcement about the expanded warning labels mentioned a third death. No other details were given.
Monty received a courtesy call on Monday from an FDA representative telling him about the revised warning labels, but he didn’t learn of the third death until after he reviewed the FDA’s press release on their web site.
Because there have been three deaths now as a direct result of the abortion pills, the drugs should be prohibited from being sold, Monty said.
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.
Searle, the maker of the ulcer drug, issued a nationwide letter to doctors saying it is not intended to produce an abortion and using it as such places women’s health at risk.
In response to Holly’s death, Monty and Helen Patterson endorsed Congressional legislation, tentatively called "Holly’s bill," that would suspend the FDA’s approval of the drug pending a Congressional review.
The bill has more than 80 sponsors in the House of Representatives but has yet to receive a vote.
