"National SPUC is trying to mislead the public about the safety of RU486, the abortion pill," Craig Young, ALRANZ National Research Officer stated today.

"National SPUC President Carmel Armstrong said that RU486 was a comparatively new drug, yet Britain and France have used RU486 as a medical abortion method for the last decade."

"I challenge Mrs.Armstrong to produce concrete evidence about increased incidence of severe foetal abnormalities within the United Kingdom and France. In both countries, severe foetal disability terminations have remained low for that period, according to abortion and birth statistics. So, where are these alleged long-term harmful effects?"

"Mrs.Armstrong is incorrect about FDA approval as well. The Food and Drug Administration wants a central registry of doctors that use RU486, proximity to hospitals in case of complications, restriction to existing abortion providers, and training regimes. The FDA has imposed regulatory safeguards, and ALRANZ supports clinical supervision of medical abortion here."

"ALRANZ has also noted that cardiovascular problems may mean that women require surgical abortions instead. That is the only serious contraindication within medical abortion. Moreover, it goes without saying that existing abortion providers will obey the provisions of the Code of Health and Disability Consumers Rights, and its provisions on informed consent. However, clinical trials and one decade of use has not resulted in any evidence of long-term risk for women in Britain and France."

Contact: Craig Young National ALRANZ Research Officer ph 06 3569099 ext 7759 email: lavendarmenace@yahoo.com

Dr.Margaret Sparrow National ALRANZ President ph 04 4759886

National ALRANZ PO Box 28-008 Wellington

===== Craig Young (noun): Doctoral candidate, Massey University School of Sociology and Women's Studies.

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