Mommies Paradise

…especially if the successful treatment could also be used for an abortion. OH NO. Say it aint so! Because it is better to be a non-functioning adult than have an abortion.

And that is what this slate article is about. As always, the life of an unborn cell is ultimately more important than the life of a living, breathing woman.

RU486 could possibly treat breast cancer or even depression, but any efforts in research are constantly stalled by the influence of a political lobby and clowns like this guy (who grosses me out and why do pro-lifers always look that - like men, I mean?) who oppose it simply because it can be used for abortions.

A great deal, therefore, rides on the outcome of research into mifepristone’s other uses: Jordan hopes the drug’s connotation will change from “abortion drug that can treat cancer” to “cancer drug that’s also used in abortions.” But here too, abortion politics have stymied the effort. Due to the drug’s political significance, researchers are cautious about studying it — two breast cancer researchers in Canada who were studying mifepristone received death threats from anti-abortion activists.

I know, I know. It isn’t really a new issue but shit like this is just infuriating and even cruel.

Given the politics at play, it’s not surprising that mifepristone is one of the most strictly regulated drugs in America. As a concession to the anti-abortion movement, the FDA gave the drug a “Phase 4″ classification. This means that, even with a doctor’s prescription, you can’t get it at a pharmacy. The drug can only be dispensed by a licensed physician, who must order each $500 dose directly from the manufacturer. The restriction also prevents doctors from prescribing mifepristone off-label, a common and legal practice generally considered safe if supported by research. With Phase 4 drugs, the doctor needs special permission from the FDA, which it will only grant if a patient faces a life-threatening illness such as cancer. For a painful but not lethal condition such as uterine fibroids, for which studies have shown mifepristone is sometimes the best treatment, doctors have no way to legally prescribe it.

The icky pro-lifer is so concerned with life in general, he had this to say (bold mine):

Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League (ALL), opposes the research […] “They are desperately looking for a way to justify this product so that if abortion is made illegal in the U.S., they can still sell this product and claim it is for something else,” he says, noting that all would oppose FDA approval of the drug for any new purpose — even if it could save the lives of women with breast cancer.

Gee, I can see how you anti-choicers are so.. oh, ummm… what is the term…? Oh, yeah. Pro-life.

NOTE - Ooops!: This article was written by Ann Friedman for the American Prospect. Then it went to Slate. I just wanted to give props to who wrote it and where it originally appeared.