The recent and tragic deaths of two more women from RU-486, bringing the U.S. toll to seven, prompted a March 29 press conference on Capitol Hill where key representatives reiterated their staunch support of legislation aimed at pulling the dangerous drug off the market.

The RU-486 Suspension and Review Act (H.R.1079) is typically referred to as “Holly’s Law,” in memory of 18-year-old Holly Patterson, who died  in 2003 after taking the drug.  H.R. 1079 was introduced in March of 2005 and has 79 House co-sponsors.  Sen. Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) introduced the Senate version of the bill, which has 11 co-sponsors.

Concerned Women for America (CWA) strongly supports this legislation and is actively lobbying for its passage.

“Two more families are grieving because the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] refuses to pull this dangerous drug from the market,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA). “By giving its approval, the FDA participates in the deception that RU-486 is ‘safe.’ How many women must die before the FDA will act? Are their lives less important than making abortion convenient?”

Key members of the House, including Reps. Trent Franks (R-Arizona), Chris Smith (R-New Jersey), Mike Pence (R-Indiana), Joe Pitts (R-Pennsylvania) and Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland) spoke at the press conference.

Rep. Joe Pitts noted, “Pregnancy is not a disease.”   Rep. Bartlett agreed, saying that the FDA has treated pregnancy like a fatal disease that must be dealt with by any means, even by administering a potentially fatal drug.   “If we had withdrawn this drug,” he said, “at least two women would be alive today.”

Rep. Mike Pence passionately urged women who are prescribed the drug not to take it: “RU-486 is an unsafe drug.”

Rep. Chris Smith noted that most of the reported deaths from RU-486 have come from California because, according to the FDA, only coroners in California are testing for the specific bacterial infections that result in complications and death.  In fact, many more women could potentially have died from RU-486, but their deaths have gone unnoticed because not all coroners are looking for specific signs in autopsies. 

CWA urges the FDA and Congress to ensure that the drug be pulled immediately, before more women lose their lives to RU-486.