From: Nigel.Allen@bbs.oit.unc.edu (Nigel Allen)
Newsgroups: talk.abortion,alt.abortion.inequity
Subject: Planned Parenthood on RU 486 "Morning After" Breakthrough
Date: 11 Oct 92 05:59:32 GMT
Organization: NDA


Here is a press release from the Planned Parenthood.Federation of America:

 Planned Parenthood on RU 486 "Morning After" Breakthrough
 To: National Desk
 Contact: Roberta Synal, 212-261-4660,
          or Bebe Bahnsen, 202-628-6260, both for
          Planned Parenthood Federation of America

   NEW YORK, Oct. 8   -- The following is a statement by 
David J. Andrews, acting president of Planned Parenthood
Federation of America:

   "The study in today's New England Journal of Medicine reporting
RU 486 as a safe and effective 'morning after' birth control pill is
an immensely important development.  The study establishes RU 486 as
a new and effective means of preventing pregnancy in cases where a
woman's usual birth control method fails or in cases of unprotected
sexual intercourse.
   "Women in the United States already have access to safe, 'morning
after' contraception -- available in most Planned Parenthood clinics
throughout the country.  Doctors prescribe a high dose of birth
control pills, which acts on a fertilized egg before it implants in
the wall of the uterus.
   "RU 486 offers not only a second effective method of post-coital
contraception, but one that virtually eliminates side-effects, such
as nausea and vomiting, commonly associated with the current 'morning
after' method.
   "It is a national scandal that such an important scientific
breakthrough remains unavailable in the United States.  RU 486 has
been accepted in Britain, France, Sweden, and China as a safe
alternative to surgical abortion and has demonstrated promise as a
treatment for a number of diseases, including breast cancer.
   "Vocal anti-abortion zealots and their White House allies
represent a minority of Americans who oppose RU 486 -- a drug we now
know can reduce the need for abortion.  The American people recognize
the absurdity of better health care for American families being held
hostage by political extremists.  We call on the administration to
heed the national will and reverse its discredited opposition to U.S.
testing of RU 486."

   Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the world's oldest and
largest voluntary reproductive health care organization, is dedicated
to the principle that every individual has a fundamental right to
choose when or whether to have a child.
   Planned Parenthood's 169 not-for-profit affiliates operate 922
clinics in 49 states and the District of Columbia.  Planned
Parenthood centers provide medical and educational services for
nearly 5 million Americans each year, regardless of race, age,
gender, sexual orientation, disability, or economic circumstances.
Through its international program, Family Planning International
Assistance, Planned Parenthood helps meet the family planning needs
of women and men in the developing world.
 -30-

--
   The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the University of
     North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Campus Office for Information
        Technology, or the Experimental Bulletin Board Service.
           internet:  bbs.oit.unc.edu or 152.2.22.80
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