California Teen Dies After Taking Abortion Pill September 22, 2003 - Monday FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 22, 2003 CONTACT: Kristin Hansen, (202) 393-2100

FRC Calls on FDA to Reinvestigate Safety of RU 486

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Last Wednesday, California teen Holly Patterson (18) died after she took the abortion pill, RU 486, given to her by a local Planned Parenthood clinic. Patterson's death marks at least the seventh woman in North America who has died after taking the drug that the FDA, after a controversial process, approved in 2000 as "safe and effective." Patterson's parents have been speaking out to warn others about the drug and are upset that the abortion occurred without their knowledge. "They told her it was safe and it killed her," Monty Patterson, her father said. "I felt so helpless...I didn't have a chance to be involved." Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said Monday, "Holly's death is an unnecessary tragedy. Was she given all the information about the danger of the drug before taking it? Why weren't her parents told that she was undergoing such a serious procedure? How many more lives will be taken before the FDA reconsiders whether RU 486 is as 'safe and effective' as they originally thought? "Holly's death teaches us the tragedy that occurs when young women enter abortion clinics needing help and information and receive neither," Perkins said. "Meanwhile, parents are left out in the cold while their children undergo dangerous procedures with severe health consequences. Holly's death should be the subject of national concern, but unfortunately her story has yet to reach the national news."

For more information on RU 486, visit FRC's website (www.frc.org) to read, "Little Pills: Targeting Youth with New Abortion Drugs."