The Mifeprex "Abortion Pill" (RU486)

The RU-486 abortion pill, known in the United States as mifepristone (and sold by Danco Laboratories under the brand name Mifeprex) is dangerous for both women and their unborn children.

See also: The "morning after pill" Free pregnancy tests

Mifeprex is not just a "pill", it requires a process involving at least 3 doctor visits within a two-week time period. At the second visit to the doctor, another drug (Cytotec, also known as Misoprostol) must also be administered to the woman, so that she will begin having contractions to expel the baby. Contrary to the impression given by pro-abortion advocates, more time is involved in a drug-induced abortion than in a surgical abortion.

Five weeks after conception, the baby is about half an inch long and already has a recognizable face, arms, and legs. But this baby can be legally killed by the Mifeprex abortion pill. (Some abortion advocates deceptively say that the fetus is just a mass of cells about the size of a grain of rice at this stage.)

A BABY DIES

Mifeprex kills a baby whose body has already been formed, whose heart is already beating. In most situations, by the time a woman has realized that her period is late, her baby's heart has already begun to function. This is not just a "blob of tissue" which is being "flushed out."

EMOTIONAL TRAUMA

Women who choose to abort a baby by using Mifeprex will likely experience more emotional trauma than women who have their babies aborted surgically, because of the amount of time required for the abortion to be completed. In addition, it is much more likely that the woman will actually see her dead baby after it has been expelled from her body. According to the pro-abortion Alan Guttmacher Institute (the research arm of Planned Parenthood), one of the primary disadvantages of Mifeprex is "not knowing when the abortion will actually take place."¹

SIDE EFFECTS

According to Danco Laboratories, the U.S. manufacturer of Mifeprex, "nearly all of the women who receive Mifeprex and misoprostol will report adverse reactions, and many can be expected to report more than one such reaction."² Mifeprex usually causes abdominal pain to the women who take it, and excessive bleeding, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are common side-effects.^{1, 2} Women may also have an allergic reaction, including allergic shock.³ About 1 out of every 100 women who are subjected to a Mifeprex abortion will need to be hospitalized due to complications, and about 2 out of every 100 women will need surgery because of excessive bleeding. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, this long period of bleeding may extend for up to six weeks.¹ Some women have experienced heart attacks or have died as a result of using this drug. An Iowa woman almost bled to death because of this drug when it was being tested.

Dr. Bernard Nathanson warns that the long-term effects of using Mifeprex have not been tested, and he suspects that it could be a chemical time-bomb similar to DES.

Because of the life-threatening nature of the side-effects a woman may experience from taking Mifeprex, the abortionist is supposed to have a counselor who ensures that women who take the abortion pill have an "adequate support system" to get them to the emergency room if necessary.¹

DEADLY COMPANION

WHEN DRUG-INDUCED ABORTIONS "FAIL"

It is not uncommon for a dead unborn baby to remain inside a woman after she attempts a drug-induced abortion. In about 8% of the cases, women who undergo Mifeprex abortions must follow up the process with a surgical abortion. Infection, sterility, and death can result from an undiagnosed incomplete abortion.³

It is also possible that the baby may remain alive and intact after an attempted Mifeprex abortion. Women who experience this situation should immediately seek competent medical assistance from a physician who will seek to protect the woman's own health, while attempting to protect the child's life and health.

Notorious abortionist Warren Hern, director of the Boulder Abortion Clinic in Colorado notes that many abortion advocates deny complications like incomplete abortions. "People have a way of denying these problems with the drug and saying it's a magic bullet. It's not," Hern said. ⁴

Melissa Grant of Greater Iowa Planned Parenthood said "there's a certain myth out there still that this is a magic pill and will make everything go away. Once a woman is pregnant, there is no easy and comfortable way to have that change."⁵ "There are a lot more problems with using that (drug) than the public's been led to believe," said Dr. Terry Winegar, president of the San Diego Academy of Family Physicians.⁵

COST

Aborting a baby by Mifeprex is typically much more expensive than a surgical abortion. For example, the Family Planning Associates chain of abortion centers charges $500 for a Mifeprex abortion and $290 for a surgical abortion⁶.

Of course, these costs pale in comparison to the toll this pill will take on the life of a woman and her baby.

WOMEN'S HEALTH

In spite of the pro-abortion propaganda which has been used to promote drug-induced abortions, Mifeprex abortions are clearly dangerous. Even if the value of the baby is not considered, Mifeprex should be rejected on the basis of women's health concerns alone.

Some abortionists, such as those associated with Family Planning Associates, have decided to cut corners in their procedures for administering Mifeprex. Instead of administering three pills, the dosage specified by the pill's manufacturer⁷ and the FDA, these abortionists administer only one pill. They also violate the manufacturer's and FDA specifications by subjecting women who are up to nine weeks pregnant to this dangerous drug. Apparently, violating the rules in this manner allows these abortionists to triple their profits, and if such practices put their patients' lives at further risk, this is evidently a price these abortionists are willing to pay. Would you really trust your reproductive health to someone like this, who just sees you as an opportunity to improve his profit margin?

HELP AVAILABLE

If you are considering a Mifeprex abortion, or any other method for ending the life of your preborn child, please contact us so that we can help you to make the right choice for yourself and for your baby. You can reach us by phone anytime at (661) 323-BABY, or click here for more contact information.

WHAT DOES GOD SAY?

"This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." - Jesus

Pregnancy evangelists (also known as sidewalk counselors) stand outside abortion chambers, offering help and information to each woman who is seeking to abort her baby, proclaiming the Good News: that Jesus Christ died to save her from her sins, and that Jesus can help her to overcome her bad circumstances and to let her baby experience the abundant life God planned. As these evangelists share God's Word, they are shining God's light around these places of darkness. This is truly Good News, not only for babies who were scheduled to die, but for their mothers as well.

Unfortunately, many people don't want God to shine His light on them. Knowing that their deeds are evil, they choose to stay in the darkness.

As a result, some individuals portray the "abortion pill" as a positive development for women, because it enables some women to abort their babies at a doctor's office or some other location where Christians are not shining God's light. Even though drug-induced abortions are risky to women, pro-abortionists are willing to even sacrifice women if necessary to prevent Christians from having the opportunity to witness the Truth to them.

Many wish to hide from God's light, because they don't understand that it is Good News. But "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:17). If you have been running from God's light, seeking to hide your evil deeds, please stop hiding today. Yes, God will expose your sins, but (if you allow Him to) He will also wash them away.

To come into God's light, please consider these points:

• You have sinned, and you have not lived up to the wonderful plan God has for your life. "...[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). You may have already participated in the death of a precious child created by God, or maybe you have abused your God-given sexuality which He intended to be limited to a husband and wife. Even if you have not committed these sins, God knows that in some way you have violated His laws.
• The penalty for your sin is death. "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 3:23a). Ultimately, your sin has earned you eternal death: being separated from God in the eternal punishment of Hell.
• Jesus paid the penalty: "...but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23b). Jesus lived on earth as a man, although He was God incarnate. Throughout His earthly life, although He experienced every temptation you have experienced, He never sinned. Because He was perfect, He could receive the penalty for your sin, by dying on a cross. He even received the embarrassment you deserve for your sin, as He was publicly punished like a criminal. If you choose to reject Jesus, you must bear the penalty for your sin all by yourself. But why?
• By believing in Jesus, you can receive His righteousness. "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith" (Romans 3:21-25).
• You cannot earn the salvation Jesus offers you; it is a free gift. But God does want you to work! He created you for good works. He has a plan for your life, which is better than anything you could plan, but to fulfill His plans, you must submit to Him and work. It is not easy, but it is rewarding! "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10).

If you have decided to believe in Jesus and accept his gift of Life, or if you just want to know more about the Good News, please contact us.

CAN YOU HELP US?

Do you have any information about a doctor, clinic, hospital, or any other individual who is promoting Mifeprex? Please tell us, so that when we refer women to local doctors, we can avoid sending women to those who subject women and their babies to this dangerous procedure. Your information will also help us to inform the community about these deeds of darkness, as we seek to protect local women and children. Call us at (661) 323-2229, or send us a message or click here for more contact information.