ALRANZ: SPUC, Right To Life Out Of Depth

"SPUC and its rival anti-abortion group, Right to Life New Zealand are hopelessly out of their depth when it comes to the issue of RU486/mifepristone." commented Craig Young, Research Officer for ALRANZ today.

"Do they really think that the pro-choice side of the abortion debate doesn't monitor the Internet as well? In the anti-abortion newspaper Humanity, Right to Life's Ken Orr stated that Searle had sent a letter to the FDA that protested against use of misoprostol, the prostaglandin supplement used to assist medical abortion procedures, along with mifepristone." Mr Young stated.

"However, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists also sent a letter to the FDA, supporting medical abortion procedures."

Mr. Young also condemned other misleading information in this week's edition of the fundamentalist newspaper, Challenge Weekly:

"Could Dr.Alan Donoghue please confirm whether or not he is related to the Christian Heritage Party speaker on health issues, Gael Donoghue, who also lives in Wanganui? Dr. Donoghue refers to bleeding, nausea and vomiting as side-effects of RU486/ mifepristone. ALRANZ has never stated that medical abortion lacked side-effects, and we have always drawn attention to the contraindications that may render surgical abortion a preferable option for some women." continued Mr. Young.

"Finally, I note that the right-wing Catholic group, Family Life International, has made an absurd statement that "nothing is known about the long-term effects" of mifepristone, despite the fact that it has been in use for over a decade in France (1988) and almost a decade in Britain (1991) and Sweden (1992). How this organisation can ignore reams of articles in medical publications such as the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, and other publications is beyond me."

Contact: Craig Young Research Officer ALRANZ 06 3569099 ext 7750 (weekdays, 9 am - 4pm)

Dr Margaret Sparrow National President, ALRANZ 04 4759886 (evenings)

Abortion Law Reform Association of New Zealand Box 28008 Wellington.

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