Ru 486 Misconceptions Myths and Morals - ressourcesfeministes

RU 486rights and scientific research. ‘Both women’s health care andfreedom of research are being sacrificed by allowing antiabortionextremists to block the production and distributionof RU 486’ (The Feminist Majority FoundationCommuniqué, 1990).This report is a critical professional and feminist responseto many issues raised by the research and development onRU 486/PG. We look first at the history of the drug—whereit was tested and on whom; curious events in France thatinspired Roussel Uclaf in 1988 to launch, then withdraw,and then return the drug to the market; and problems ofmarketing in the United States and other countries.We examine, in turn, the complexion of the drug. Whatdo they/we really know about the way it works in regard tonot only the reproductive cycle but its impact on other partsof the body? What about the long-term effects of RU 486/PG on women’s subsequent fertility? Since both drugs areknown to cross the placenta, there is also some data thatpoints to a teratogenic effect on the embryo after a failedchemical abortion. What are the contraindications for andcomplications of the drug? How are they represented in themedical literature?We question why many serious side-effects have beendownplayed, and the methods of minimizing theirimportance. Why is more and more pain, for example,represented as less and less of a problem for women? Theminimizing of other complications such as post-treatmentbleeding, which can be both long-lasting and severe, isanother area of analysis. Some women have neededtransfusions, and others have required conventionalabortions after chemical abortions have failed.Because RU 486 is administered with prostaglandins, itseffect on the immune system must be studied further. Whenused in organ transplant procedures, much smaller doses ofprostaglandins than are administered with RU 486 inhibitthe immune response. Furthermore, prostaglandins have been6