PREGNANCY INFO & RESOURCES

In this section, you will find information about maternal health, the dangers of Cytotec and links to other organizations and materials. In addition, here are some basic terms to know.

Terms you should know

Delivery of the baby through an incision in the abdomen and uterine wall of the mother. This is major surgery and should be performed only when delivery through the birth canal is impossible or dangerous to the mother or child.

When a woman dies during pregnancy, childbirth, or within the twelve-month period following childbirth, due to pregnancy-related issues.

A person who assists the mother during childbirth. A midwife can be a man or woman. Today, midwives are often a ‘nurse-midwife’, meaning they have had formal training as nurses and then pursued specialized training in midwifery.

Kathleen Johnson, Midwifery Today Issue 66 writes:

“If I could change one thing about prenatal education, it would be to encourage activities that enhance parent’s connection physically, emotionally and spiritually with their unborn child. Helping parents recognize the unborn child as an active participant in his or her own development and birth provides parents with another coping resource (during labor)- their connection with their child. The more mothers recognize their unborn child as a genuine person with unique attributes and an enduring love for his or her parents, the more they will be aware that they are working together with their child during the birth. This awareness may also increase the mother’s desire to avoid unnecessary interventions that could negatively affect her baby.”

Once a drug is approved by the FDA it can be used by ANY doctor, for any reason. This practice is called “the off-label use of drugs. There is no mandatory reporting system for side effects of drugs used off-label.

A drug created for the treatment of stomach ulcers by Searle. Used off- label to induce labor by ripening the cervix. Also used as a component in RU486 (the “abortion drug”). Though it is not approved by the FDA for inducing labor, Cytotec has become the “standard of care” for inducing labor.

FDA Alert on Cytotec

The Foundation believes that TRULY informed consent occurs when ALL the possible side effects of a drug or medical intervention are made known to the patient. Only then can a woman and her family make fully informed decisions regarding the use of these procedures and drugs.