One of the leading pro-life organizations is fighting back against the Obama administration’s approval for expanded use of the controversial abortion drug combination known as RU-486, calling the government’s decision harmful for women and babies and nothing but a political “thank you” from Obama to his allies in the abortion industry.
The Food and Drug Administration, or FDA, which recently clamped down on e-cigarettes and some tobacco products to protect the health of children, is allowing women seeking abortions to take the RU-486 regimen until the 10th week of pregnancy. Previously, the limit was seven weeks.
RU-486 is a two-drug regimen. The first starves the unborn baby of nutrients, leading the child to die. Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose says at 10 weeks, that baby is further developed than many realize.
“The heart is beating,” she told WND and Radio America. “The brain is forming, leg and arm buds. By the end of the first trimester, the child has all his internal organs and body parts. He just needs time and nourishment to grow. You’re talking about a fairly developed pre-born child.”
The second drug is even more powerful.
“The second drug induces labor,” Rose said. “It makes a woman bleed out her entire pregnancy as well as the pre-born child. That process can take up to two days.”
In addition to the FDA giving its approval for RU-486 for an additional three weeks, Rose said it also allows abortion providers to provide less medical supervision. She said that is a recipe for disaster.
“A teen girl could get these drugs, self-administer the pills and without any parent’s knowledge or consent in many states, be bleeding out her pregnancy in a forced miscarriage without a doctor involved,” Rose said.
According to Rose, the later the drugs are taken in a pregnancy, the less likely the second drug is to actually trigger a miscarriage. In that situation, the patient is then forced to seek a surgical abortion to remove the dead child.
Rose said the latest move has nothing to do with health care. She claims it’s the Obama administration helping abortion providers line their pockets.
“They were elected in part by Planned Parenthood dollars,” she said. “The abortion industry has interests on Capitol Hill. They have friends at the FDA, and they stand to profit. The later term they can do medical abortion, the less supervision is necessary.”
Rose continued, “They can profit more by having fewer nurses, fewer doctors and just hand out pills and then maybe profit again on the other side because if the procedure fails, the women comes back for a second abortion. All in all, this is a good moneymaker for the abortion industry.”
Listen to the WND/Radio America interview with Lila Rose:
[jwplayer qJWSWUz7]
Unsurprisingly, there is fierce debate over safety of RU-486. When the FDA policy was announced, the American Council of Obstetricians and Gynecologists stated it was “pleased that the updated FDA-approved regimen for mifepristone reflects the current available scientific evidence and best practices.”
Rose points out there is great debate within the council, also known as ACOG, and that the group does not speak speak for OB/GYNs en masse.
“Many doctors disagree,” she said. “That’s why many doctors won’t perform abortions. A lot of doctors don’t like that FDA is loosening up standards. There’s a lot of disagreement in the medical community, but unfortunately the pro-abortion interests have a powerful grip over at ACOG.”
Members of Congress, particularly Republicans investigating Planned Parenthood and the sale of aborted baby body parts, are demanding more paperwork explaining how the FDA came to this conclusion, but Rose said Congress can’t turn this tide by itself.
“I think a lot hinges on the 2016 election this year,” said Rose, referring to the power government regulators have outside of Congress. “Ultimately, we really need to look at the presidency and the White House. We need to get someone in there who cares for women and children and who [is] not in the pocket of Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry.”
