AP: Family files lawsuit over RU-486 pill

[question everything]

Article Last Updated: 10/07/2005 08:47 PM

Family files lawsuit over RU-486 pill
Associated Press
LA Daily News

SANTA ANA - The family of an Orange County woman who died last year after taking the so-called abortion pill has sued the drug's U.S. marketer, alleging the company did not sufficiently warn women of potential risks.

Hoa Thuy Tran, 21, a student from Fountain Valley, died in 2003 after taking RU-486 and a follow-up drug to end a pregnancy. She is one of four U.S. women - all from California - who are reported to have died of infection after taking the pill.

RU-486, approved by federal regulators in 2000, is manufactured by New York-based Danco Laboratories and sold under the brand name Mifeprex. A company spokeswoman did not return a phone call Friday.

(snip)

http://www2.dailynews.com/news/ci_3097514

[friesianrider]

1. I wonder what's going on with this...

They were all from CA? And I wonder if perhaps they weren't using it incorrectly or something? This is so sad.

I know if (God forbid) I ever wanted/needed an abortion, I would much prefer the surgical route. It is fairly non-invasive and I'd rather have a physician right there if (again, God forbid) something went wrong.

Such a sad story - my heart goes out to her family.

[question everything]

2. It would help if more were known about the pathology

Why should there be an infection? Was the drug contaminated?

Yes, very sad.

[TaleWgnDg]

3. My educated kneejerk reaction is that . . . this is a plant . . .

My educated kneejerk reaction is that . . . this is a plant . . . an attempt to toss out RU-486 by anti-abortionists. And, religion-into-law nuts tried and tried and tried for years and years (more than 15 years or so) to not have the FDA allow RU-486 in the U.S.A. for all kinds of invented "reasons" and now this? (FYI, you cannot get more conservative, politically, than Orange County, California.)


.

[koopie57]

7. another pin idea

if you want religion to make policies for our government, then don't be surprised when the government wants to make policies for our relgion. errr...well, something like that anyway.

[TheWraith]

8. I suppose that the woman killed herself just to make the drug look bad?

Good god, people. I understand a certain amount of caution, but the paranoia level around DU frequently spikes off the charts. Some things really aren't a conspiracy.

[TaleWgnDg]

11. Instead of assuming stuff -- that that you accuse others of doing --

why not read what's posted? As well as read the hyperlinked url before jumping to any erroneous conclusions. Hmmmm? That is, instead of reading b/t the lines as if tea leaves! Again, it's a lawsuit that's been filed. And I'll bet that behind the lawsuit is anti-abortion proponents. Are you aware of the legal history of RU-486? I am. As an attorney I am very familiar with this area of law and medicine.

Who's trying to "fudge" deaths regarding "woman (who) killed herself just to make the drug look bad." :tinfoilhat: Not I, for tis only you who raised that illogic.

[serryjw]

4. Interesting article on RU-486

http://www.religioustolerance.org/aboru486.htm

[friesianrider]

5. Thanks for posting this...

It is interesting that there are 3 medical conditions that would prohibit women from taking RU-486 (or at least women with these ailments shouldn't take the drug): Heavy smoking, heart problems or high blood pressure. The first I can definitely see some women lying about, and the other two could easily be conditions many women simply *don't* know about. Especially if you're talking younger women.

- RU-486: 1 death in 200,000 abortions

- Childbirth: 1 death in 14,300 pregnancies

That's a pretty damning set of statistics.

[ErisFiveFingers]

9. About those stats...

They don't seem to split mother/child/both death, or put another way, how many of those Childbirth deaths are newly born humans, or mothers... and their URL to the source link is broken.

Of course, the "human at conception" folks will argue that there are 200,001 deaths for every 200,000 abortions, so I'd like to have my numbers right, at least... anybody seen clearer stats?

[progressivebydesign]

6. Read an article about the deaths. The pill was used as a suppository.

I have no idea where I saw the article. If anyone is interested in that subject, I suggest an internet search for it. There was talk that the pill was actually inserted as suppository instead of being taken in the traditional fashion. Some medical providers suggested administering it that way, but the infection was the result of a toxic shock syndrome type of effect. The problem really is not the pill, but how some people are advising them to take it.

[question everything]

10. Amazing. And this is true for any misuse of drug, of course (nt)

[NickB79]

12. All four women that died apparently took the pill as a vaginal suppository

NPR had a discussion on this a couple months back when these women died. Drug researchers found that you can take a lower dosage as a suppository and still have the effectiveness of the oral method. In Europe, women are told to take the pills orally, despite the higher dosage.

Question: is this a way US drug companies tried to save money, by hoping to find a way to use less drug per patient yet still charge the same amount for it?