Seventh American Woman Dies From Drug-Based Abortion, FDA Meeting Reveals

National   |   Steven Ertelt   |   May 12, 2006   |   9:00AM   |   WASHINGTON, DC

Seventh American Woman Dies From Drug-Based Abortion, FDA Meeting Reveals

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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 12, 2006

Atlanta, GA (LifeNews.com) — During a meeting of scientists and federal officials about the dangerous abortion drug RU 486 and how it has been responsible for killing six women, a Centers for Disease Control official revealed a seventh woman has died from a drug-based abortion.

The seventh woman died from a drug-induced abortion but did not use the first part of the two-part RU 486 abortion drug.

Clifford McDonald, a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control, reported on the latest death and told the FDA officials and scientists at the meeting that the woman in question was given the drug misoprostol.

That’s the second part of the RU 486 abortion drug.

The first, mifepristone, deprives the developing unborn child of the nutrition she needs to survive and the second, misoprostol, is a prostaglandin that is given to induce contractions and expel the body of the dead baby.

Searle, the maker of the drug, also known as Cytotec, has repeatedly issued letters to doctors and warnings that it should not be used to produce abortions. The drug is intended to treat ulcers but abortion practitioners engage in what is known as "off-label" use because it has been found to be relatively effective in producing contractions.

McDonald said the woman in question used the drug vaginally, which has been a concern in the deaths of five of the recent Ru 486 abortion drug deaths.

The FDA has only approved using misoprostol orally, but abortion business Planned Parenthood had been advising women to use it vaginally until the announcement last month that another woman had died from developing a lethal bacterial infection in her vagina brought on by the aboriton pill.

According to a New York Times report, the seventh woman who died from a drug-induced abortion was also given a laminaria, a drug made from sea algae that is sometimes used to dilate the cervix during a surgical abortion.

The Times reported that McDonald told the meeting the two most recent women who died, suffered from Clostridium perfringens infections while the four California women whoi died had Clostridium sordellii infections.

McDonald said the latest death occured in a Midwestern state.

The first victim of RU 486 was a Tennessee woman who died after using the abortion drug. She had an undetected ectopic pregnancy, and the drug is not supposed to be used in such situations.

Following her death, four California women died from using the abortion drug and the FDA announced last month that a Colorado woman had died as well.

Internationally, women have died in Canada, Sweden and France and two women died after using the abortion drug in England. In total, now, seven American women have died from the abortion drug and twelve had died worldwide.