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Witnessing to the Sanctity of Human Life, Through Education, Based on the Word of God

RU-486: What is it?

What is RU-486?

How Does It Work?

An RU-486 abortion requires three steps. 

1) A woman takes three pills of mifepristone provided by her doctor.  This blocks the action of progesterone, a hormone required to maintain a pregnancy.  The uterine lining disintegrates, and the pre-born baby starves and dies from lack of nutrients.

2) The woman returns to the doctor’s office in 36 to 48 hours to take two tablets of the second drug, misoprostol (Cytotec).  She returns home waiting for this drug to cause uterine contractions that expel the dead, pre-born child. 

3) Around 14 days after the abortion, the woman returns to her doctor for an examination to insure that the abortion was complete and that no portion of her baby remains in the uterus.

How Dangerous is RU-486?

Physical - Much needs to be said about the physical affects of RU-486 on women.  Before doing so, it is important to remember that the physical affect on the pre-born child is death.   However, 5% of babies will not be aborted using this two-drug technique.  Since there is a real risk of deformity if the baby is carried to term, Roussel-Uclaf, fearing litigation, requires women to sign an agreement to a surgical abortion if RU-486 fails.

Over a 12-month period beginning in September 1994, the drug's sponsors conducted a study in the United States with 2,121 women ages 18 to 35 who were pregnant for periods of 63 days or less.  Researchers found the primary negative side effect of RU-486 was excessive bleeding, some of which necessitated blood transfusions and resulted in hospitalizations, including emergency room visits, surgical interventions, and administrations of intravenous fluid.  Some women bled for up to 60 days after they took RU- 486, and some developed endometritis, an inflammation of the lining of the uterus, after taking the drug.  Cramping may be severe. Roussel Uclaf’s own research showed that out of 950 women studied, 270 required narcotics for intense pain.

As a result of the death of a woman using RU-486, smokers and women over the age of 34 may not take RU-486 in France.

Cytotec, the second drug in this procedure, was developed for the treatment of ulcers.  The manufacturers issued the following statement:  “Serious adverse events were reported following off-label use of Cytotec in pregnant women including maternal or fetal death, uterine hyperstimulation, rupture or perforation requiring ... surgical repair, hysterectomy or [other treatment] ..., severe vaginal bleeding, ... and shock.”    

Psychological - Since the abortion may occur at home or anywhere the woman might be, a woman delivers and often sees her own dead baby.  “Paris Obstetrician Elizabeth Aubeny [said] the hardest part for women using the drug was to look at what she described as the ‘expelled tissue’, what Dr. John Willke termed ‘tiny babies.’” (St. Paul Pioneer Press, 7/11/90)  The president of Roussel Uclaf says it is “ an appalling psychological ordeal.”  No wonder only about 6% of the women having abortions in England used RU-486 since legalization in 1991.

Because of these inherent dangers in this deadly procedure, many countries refuse to legalize RU-486. 

Are There Any Restrictions on RU-486?

The FDA also recognizes certain dangers in the drug and has made some restriction on its use.  Women may only use the drug in the first 7 weeks after their last menstrual period.  Doctors providing the abortion pills must be able to accurately determine the duration of a pregnancy and to diagnose a tubal pregnancy.  Doctors must report any failure of the drugs to produce an abortion and any serious complications.  Each woman using the drugs must sign an agreement saying she has received and read a “medication guide” which includes a description of how the drug works and the risks involved.  Included is a promise that she return in two days to take the Cytotec and again in two weeks to be sure her abortion is complete. 

How Is The Christian to View RU-486?

The Christian cannot think of RU-486 as any different than surgical abortion.  Both destroy God’s gift of life.  Making something that is supposedly “easier” and “more convenient” does not erase the fundamental fact that RU-486 destroys a child created by God and for whom Jesus Christ died.

When facing an unwanted pregnancy, a woman does not have to resort to death as a solution.  Jesus who said, “I came that they may have life” also said, “Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

The God who created life sent His Son to redeem life.  Jesus loved us enough to suffer Hell for us and to die for us.  But His love did not end with His death on the cross.  Jesus rose from the dead, and His love is still there to turn to and trust in.  As one woman put it, “God does not abandon us in our darkness even when we choose to enter that darkness ourselves.”  There is always hope in Jesus who is Lord of LIFE!

What Can Be Done?

• Pray that God will use this latest assault on life to raise up the voice of His people to defend the cause of the innocent.

• Educate as many people as possible about what RU-486 is and what it does.  Bring the subject up at home, at church, and in conversations with friends or co-workers.  Do not assume people understand what this drug is all about.  Pass along this brochure so that Christians will come to understand that abortion—whether surgical or chemical—is a spiritual issue and we must respond to it accordingly.

• Act by communicating with your political leaders.  Congress  has the power to restrict or put a stop to the use of this drug.  Let your views be known to your congressional delegation and urge them to enact legislation to ban this dangerous, life-taking drug.

This article is available in brochure form from LFL. Click here to go to the on-line Life Resource  Catalog. © Non-commercial use permitted without prior permission, provided that proper credit is attributed.