Over protests by physicians and the Vatican, the Italian government has approved the dangerous RU 486 mifepristone abortion drug, which the maker of the drug in Europe says has killed 29 mothers.
-- From "Abortion pill approved in Italy" posted at BBC World News 7/31/09
The Italian Pharmaceuticals Agency (AIFA) ruled late on Thursday that the drug would not be sold in pharmacies and only be administered by doctors.
The pill could only be taken up to the seventh week of pregnancy, it said.
On Thursday, the Vatican said it would excommunicate doctors who prescribed the drug and patients who used it.
RU486 was first introduced in France two decades ago and is available in the United States and several other European countries.
Correspondents say it is not clear how many doctors will prescribe RU486 since, according to the health ministry, 70% of Italian doctors are "conscientious objectors" who refuse to carry out abortions.
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From "Abortion Drug Has Killed 29 Women, European Maker Tells Italy's Government" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 7/31/09
Currently, eight women have died from using the RU 486 abortion drug in the United States, two in England, and one each in Canada, Sweden and France.
But, according to a report by the Italian news agency ASCA, Exelgyn [the European abortion drug maker] provided the figure of 29 women dying from the abortion pill to the Italy Ministry of Health, which, in turn, gave the information to the AIFA drug regulatory agency.
Meanwhile, Eugenia Roccella, the subsecretary of the Italian health office, also reportedly confirmed the figure she received from Exelgyn to L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper.
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