TESTING OF RU-486 IN IOWA
STATEMENT OF THE IOWA CATHOLIC CONFERENCE
November 3, 1994
The recent announcement of the planned testing of RU-486 in Iowa demands a response by all those in our community committed to protecting human life.
RU-486, the so-called abortion pill, has the single purpose of bringing about the death of an unborn child. We challenge the claim that this procedure is safe. Every time that it is successful, a loss of life occurs. The drug is fatal to unborn babies. It can cause birth defects in those children who survive its use. It can result in physical and emotional harm to women who take it.
We challenge the popular perception of RU-486 as the simple taking of a pill. The experience with this drug in France is that its use requires several visits to specialized clinics, multiple physical examinations and close patient supervision to guard against side effect such as heart attacks.
Whether the vehicle for taking the life of the unborn is swallowing a pill or undergoing a surgeon’s scalpel, the result is the same, the intentional ending of a human life.
Bringing RU-486 to Iowa is a tragedy. Rather than address the multitude of physical diseases and social ills which confront our society, the proponents of RU-486 drain our limited resources by diverting our energies toward experiments which destroy life.
We urge the supporters of RU-486 to turn away from choosing the violence of abortion, and join us in creating a nonviolent community dedicated to life, caring and justice.
November 3, 1994
