After a long battle on the part of pro-life forces to prevent the sale of RU-486 in this country, the FDA approved it in 2000. Since then, at least seven women have died after taking the drug, four of them from an infection of the bloodstream, or sepsis.

RU-486 is not a "quick fix," as has been purported in the media. In fact, it is a complicated regimen lasting two weeks. FDA guidelines for administering the drug are:

Day One - The mother takes 3 tablets of 200 mg. of Mifeprex orally at once.

Day Three - She takes 2 tablets of 200 mcg. of misoprostol orally at once.

Day Fourteen – She must return to the physician for confirmation that a complete abortion has occurred. If not, surgical abortion is recommended.

These steps are to be carried out under the care of a physician. Some abortion clinics are evidently supplying the drugs without the proper supervision and, in addition, using them in an "off-label" manner, both of which contribute to the potential for infection and subsequent death.

The FDA's response is to plan a "workshop" to study the effects of RU-486. RNC/Life joins Family Research Council president Tony Perkins in urging the FDA to "suspend immediately the sale of RU-486 until the FDA can demonstrate that these deaths cannot be attributed to RU-486. How many more women will be deceived into believing this drug is safe when, in reality, it poses deadly risks to women's health?"

HILLARY CLINTON DEMANDS OTC SALE OF "MORNING AFTER" PILL — U.S. Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have said they will block the nomination of Bush nominee Andrew von Eschenbach to become the new commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) until the agency approves over-the-counter sale of the "morning after" pill, also known as "Plan B." "If they don't come to a decision on Plan B, the White House is going to need a Plan C on their nominee," Murray told the New York Times. "I want the decision made before" voting on the nomination, she said. (LifeNews.com, 3/18/06)

Dr. von Eschenbach is currently serving as acting FDA commissioner. Prior to the FDA appointment he headed the National Cancer Institute (NCI) where he earned criticism for ignoring the link between abortion and breast cancer.

The so-called "morning after" pill was originally introduced as a means of preventing implantation of the developing baby in the uterine wall, causing a very early abortion. However, the initial outcry by pro-life Americans caused the manufacturer and advocates of the drug to quickly switch gears and instead to market the pill as an "emergency contraceptive" (ECP) that "can" prevent implantation.

The drugs are powerful hormonal chemicals. Allowing their sale without a prescription and physician supervision leaves women, and teen age girls in particular, open to all sorts of problems, not the least of which are sexually transmitted diseases and exploitation by predatory males who could purchase the pills in advance of a planned seduction.

Obviously, Senators Clinton and Murray couldn't care less about those concerns. Their goal is to ensure that every possible means of surgical and chemical abortion is legal and readily available, no matter what the consequences.

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY PROVIDES 200th ULTRASOUND MACHINE 
Focus on the Family (FOTF) has placed the 200th ultrasound machine in a crisis pregnancy center (CPC) in order to dramatically increase the percentage of women opting against having an abortion. The machine placements are part of a national campaign. Since the pro-family group launched its Option Ultrasound program, it has helped 200 pregnancy centers get the machines, which show amazing pictures of babies before birth.

Statistics show that 84 percent of women decide against an abortion after seeing an ultrasound of their baby. Kim Conroy, the sanctity of life director for FOTF, believes that this service is needed and is benefiting women. "There are significant health risks with abortion, and at the very least they [women] have a right to know the truth regarding this risky procedure from professionals who will not benefit financially from their decision. They also need to know there are positive alternatives for them and their babies," she said. (LifeNews.com, 3/18/06)

There are many aspects of the pro-life movement—education, political, legislative, public witness, prayer, activism, care and counseling for the abortion-minded mother—all are important pieces of the larger picture. In this instance, Focus on the Family is providing an invaluable service by enabling CPCs, through one-on-one interaction with the mothers, to help them visually meet their babies before making an irrevocable decision for abortion.

Thank you, Focus on the Family!!

TENNESSEE "CHOOSE LIFE" LICENSE PLATE UPHELD BY COURT OF APPEALS 
The Sixth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, in the case of ACLU of Tennessee v. Bredesen, has upheld the Tennessee law that authorizes the production of a "Choose Life" license plate. Liberty Counsel filed a brief in support of the law. Liberty Counsel defended the first successful appellate court ruling involving the Florida "Choose Life" license plate in the case of Women's Emergency Network v. Bush.

The Court noted that the "Choose Life" message was a "government-crafted message disseminated by private volunteers" who pay a specialty license plate fee. Tennessee law provides for numberous specialty license plates in which private groups can apply to have a specialty plate approved. In this case, the legislature, without the application of a private group, passed a law adding the "Choose Life" plate as an option. The Court rejected the ACLU's argument that the government created a "forum" for expression in which the state would have to accept contradictory messages. The Court noted that when the government promotes a message like "Register to Vote" or "Support Our Troops," it does not have to create the opposite message like "Don't Vote or "Stop the War." If it were otherwise, government messages on postage stamps or billboards would be contradictory, chaotic and confusing. (Liberty Counsel News Release, 3/17/06)

MICHIGAN GOVERNOR FEELING THE HEAT 
The current Governor of Michigan, Jennifer Granholm, is a Democrat and a pro-abortion liberal.

Her Republican opponent is Dick DeVos, son and heir to Rich DeVos, founder of Amway Corp., whose campaign website describes him as "the only pro-life candidate for Governor. He supports efforts to protect and promote a culture of life, from conception to natural death. Dick is the only candidate for Governor who supports a ban on the late term procedure known as ‘partial-birth abortion.'"

A Rasmussen poll (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/2006/State%20Polls/February%202006/Michigan%20Governor%20February.htm) reported on February 14th showed Granholm's lead had disappeared. Now Granholm has the support of 44% of those polled with DeVos at 43%.

Lo and behold, pro-abortion Granholm announced yesterday that she will sign into law a pro-life bill requiring abortion providers to give a pregnant woman the option of viewing ultrasound images of her baby before performing an abortion!! Are Michigan voters going to buy this? We don't think so. In this case, the Governor is feeling the heat, but she's seeing the light way too late.