Rome, Italy, Sep 26, 2005 / 22:00 pm
Italy’s Minister of Health, Francesco Storace, has ordered the suspension of all experiments with the abortion pill known as RU-486 which have been taking place at the Santa Ana Hospital in Turin.
In a press release, Storace said the experiments would be suspended except in cases of women who are already hospitalized. But even these could only be resumed once government norms have been rigorously implemented.
Storace pointed out that the decision to halt the use of the drug was made after some irregularities were discovered in the experimentation, including the case of "a patient who suffered a partial expulsion with hemorrhaging and was not hospitalized at the time."
Despite opposition by the Church and some political groups, experiments with the drug began on September 9 in order to determine the effectiveness of the pill in producing an abortion.
RU-486 has caused a number of deaths in the United States since its legalization in 2000, especially among 18 year-old women. More than 400 women have reported complications with the use of the drug.