Pro-Abortion Group Says Abortion Drug That Has Killed 13 Women "Saves Lives"
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
October 16, 2009
Amsterdam, Netherlands (LifeNews.com) — The pro-abortion group that operated the controversial Abortion Boat before it was retired has a new mission: to get the dangerous abortion drug to women in nations where abortions are illegal. In a huge headline at its web site, Women on Waves proclaims, "Abortions with pills save women’s lives."
Never mind that the abortion drug mifepristone is responsible for the deaths of at least 13 women in the United States, Canada, England, Sweden and France.
"The best and safest way a woman can do an abortion herself until the 9th week of pregnancy is with the use of two medicines called Mifepristone and Misoprostol," the abortion group tells women. "A medical abortion done this way has a success rate of more than 97%."
Yet, according to FDA reports as of December 2006, there have been nine life-threatening incidents, 116 women who required blood transfusions, and 232 women who needed hospitalizations because of severe medical problems.
In total, more than 1,100 American women have had medical problems after using the drug as of that date.
WOW goes on to target women in nations where women and unborn children are protected under law.
"If you live in a country where there is no access to safe abortion services and you would like to obtain a medical abortion with Mifepristone and Misoprostol, please go to Women on Web," the group adds. "This is a online medical abortion help service that refers to a doctor who can provide you with a medical abortion."
The group also says "a woman can also do an abortion herself until the 9th week of pregnancy with only the use of Misoprostol."
Yet previously, the maker of misoprostol, known as Cytotec, said that the medication, intended for treating ulcers, should not be used in abortion.
In August 2000, more than a month before RU 486 was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, Searle sent out a strongly worded letter, with the cooperation of the FDA, saying misoprostol "is not approved for the induction of labor or abortion."
The letter said misuse of the drug can cause adverse effects such as a ruptured uterus, vaginal bleeding and "maternal or fetal death."
Wendy Wright, the president of Concerned Women for America, tells LifeNews.com that WOW is doing women a disservice.
"Holly Patterson took RU-486 because she read on a website that it was safe. One week after taking it, she was dead," she said.
"Abortion groups that continue to claim it is safe – despite the mounting number of deaths and injuries – deliberately prey on women," she added. "Clearly their goal is not to help women, but to use women to further their agenda. They offer no life-affirming help or choices for women and their babies, only pills that cause death for the baby and sometimes the mother."
She said the efforts by WOW to target women in pro-life underdeveloped nations "puts women in double jeopardy of suffering abortion complications in countries where they cannot get penicillin, blood transfusions or other treatments."
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