RU-486

No, not the submarine movie, the "miracle pill" a.k.a. the abortion pill. Essentially, [how I understand it] taking one of these pills is like taking a bunch of birth control pills; it induces the menstrual cycle. Recently, a woman from California died from taking an abortion inducing pill. And now, the F.D.A. is moving to change the warning label to include stronger language.

This is the third death in the U.S. that the F.D.A. has linked to RU-486 since it approved the pill to be safe for usage in 2000. Now that may be cause for alarm, but let's get the facts straight first.

Dr. Cynthia Summers, spokeswoman for mifepristone's [RU-486] American maker, Danco Laboratories, said she did not believe the fatality should be attributed to the drug, since the coroner's report said the woman had instead taken methotrexate, a cancer medication that has also been used to induce abortions.

Whaaaa?!?! RU-486 was not the drug this woman was using? According to the coroner, nope. Now what does a coroner know? The F.D.A. would say that the coroner knows, to paraphrase, Jack shit, but let me quote what the acting commissioner of food and drugs of the FDA, Dr. Lester Crawford, had to say

"Our investigation reveals that it was due to mifepristone [RU-486]," Dr. Crawford said. The F.D.A. would not elaborate.

Would not elaborate. Why does the F.D.A. need to elaborate further? They have a president with a mandate and a hard-on to ban abortion behind them.

"We received no political direction or counseling whatsoever" from the White House

is what Dr. Lester had to say for himself. Did they need any direct counseling? I think that W made it pretty crystal fucking clear the direction he wants to take this country: pre January 22, 1973 to be exact.

Randall O'Bannon, director of education and research of the mis-named group: National Right to Life had this to say about RU-486:

I think the evidence is mounting that this drug is unsafe

Ah yes, the evidence. The evidence clearly states that the drug in use was not RU-486, but hey, that kind of technicality never stopped the Right from making their points in the past, why start now?

Now, I'm not saying that RU-486 is fool-proof, but that the reasons for taking this drug, which has been used by 360,000+ women in the U.S. and there have been few problems.

On the other hand, how about smoking? Tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, drugs, homosices, fires and car accidents - combined, each year. That's approximately 440,000 dead Americans a year from tobacco. But the tobacco lobby has millions upon millions all over the Hill, pleading their case.