Following the death of a California woman who took the medical abortion pill RU-486, some anti-abortion protesters are saying the drug, once dubbed the “magic pill” by supporters, has lost its charm.
Last month 18-year-old Holly Patterson died after taking the pill. Patterson’s family has told the media Patterson died of an infection because of an incomplete abortion. Investigators are awaiting the coroner’s report to determine Patterson’s official cause of death
Patterson’s case has renewed the debate both at Northwestern and across the country over the safety of the pill and how it is administered. Some anti-abortion protesters are calling for RU-486 to be taken off the market.
“This drug is unsafe and the way abortion clinics are administering it is unsafe,” said Wendy Wright, senior policy director for the Washington-based Concerned Women for America. The conservative group is revising a petition, initially issued in August 2000, that calls for the Food and Drug Administration to remove the drug from the market or at least consider stricter guidelines for its administration.
Despite protest from some groups about the drug’s safety, Joanne Connolly, acting director of NU’s Searle Student Health Service, said Searle will continue to refer students seeking abortions to Planned Parenthood clinics.
“I don’t think it’s going to change much,” Connolly said. “We’ll still see women, we’ll still counsel them, we’ll still steer them toward qualified, competent providers, (such as) Planned Parenthood.”
Renee Redd, director of NU’s Women’s Center said although some women might be more hesitant to use the drug after Patterson’s death, she believes that “in actuality this has been one of the safest drugs put out on the market.”
Beth Jordan, medical director of the Feminist Majority Foundation in Washington, also said she believes RU-486 is safe. She said Patterson’s death more likely is the result of how the drug was administered.
“People die from aspirin, people die from penicillin,” Jordan said. “Why are people talking about this? Because it’s abortion.”
RU-486 is usually administered in two doses, according to Planned Parenthood. Patterson took the first dose under the care of a physician at a Planned Parenthood clinic, according to news reports. Three days later she administered the second dose at home. After experiencing severe cramping and heavy bleeding, Patterson was taken to the emergency room, where she died a few hours later.
Danco Laboratories has been manufacturing RU-486 under the brand name Mifeprex since 2000. Danco spokesperson Pamela Long said although two women outside of the United States have died after taking the Mifeprex, no deaths in the United States have been attributed to the drug. She said 0.2 percent of the 200,000 women who have taken RU-486 in the United States have had complications, such as bleeding or cramping.
Megan Blackwelder, a Weinberg sophomore, said she expects women will continue to use the medical abortion pill despite risks.
“If you’re not going to have an abortion it’s not going to be because of the medical risks,” Blackwelder said. “It’s going to be because of personal values.”
Christina Dawkins, a Communication sophomore, said she opposes abortion but does not view RU-486 as riskier than other procedures.
“If abortion is going to stay legal the pill should stay legal,” she said. “As long as people know the risks.”
