Providence, R.I., Jul 27, 2005 / 22:00 pm
A Brown University researcher has concluded that the abortion drug RU 486 causes rare bacterial infections in women that can lead to death, reports LifeNews.com. Dr. Ralph Miech is expected to have his research published in the September issue of The Annals of Pharmacotherapy.
The two-part drug-induced abortion uses mifepristone to block the effects of progesterone and shut off nutrition to the placenta and the baby. The woman then ingests misoprostol, which is a cancer drug that is used to cause contractions and expel the now-dead baby.
Miech writes that the effects of mifepristone cause changes in the cervix that allow C. sordellii, a common vaginal bacteria, to enter the cervical canal.
"C. sordellii thrives in this low-oxygen environment and derives nutrition from the decaying fetal tissue," explains the professor of molecular pharmacology, physiology, and biotechnology at Brown. Meanwhile, mifepristone produces other hormonal effects.