Holly Pattersonteens, ru486, infection, california, 20002009SUMMARY: Holly Patterson, age 18, died from massive infection on September 17, 2003 after being given abortion drugs at a Planned Parenthood in Hayward, CA.

Holly PattersonHolly Patterson, age 18, died September 17, 2003, from sepsis caused by a fetus incompletely expelled in a safe and legal medical abortion. Holly got the drugs for the fatal abortion at a Planned Parenthood in Hayward, California, on September 10.

Rather than follow the recommended protocols for chemical abortions, Planned Parenthood followed the more popular American approach of giving Holly the mifepristone at the facility, then giving her misoprostol to self-administer at home.

Holly had experienced severe cramping and pain, and went to the emergency room. She was examined, given pain medication, and discharged.

At her boyfriends insistence, she returned to the emergency room on September 17, but by then her condition had deteriorated and efforts to save her were futile.

Monty Patterson, Holly‘s father, told the San Francisco Chronicle, “The medical community treats this as a simple pill you take, as if you’re getting rid of a headache. The procedure, the follow-ups, it’s all too lackadaisical. The girl gets a pill. Then she’s sent home to do the rest on her own. There are just too many things that can go wrong.”

For an extensive, in-depth look at Holly’s death and the surrounding political firestorm, see: The Making of a Martyr, Holly Patterson‘s death.

Other women were identified as dying after RU-486 abortions include: Chanelle Bryant, Oriane Shevin, Vivian Tran, Cherish Roe, Tara Roe, Wanda Roe, and Brenda Vise.

Chanelle got her abortion drugs at a Planned Parenthood, and Oriane and Vivian got theirs from National Abortion Federation members.

For an extensive set of links on RU-486, go to: The RU-486 Files.

• An Open Letter from Holly’s Father
• Pregnant teen‘s death under investigation
• Investigation Into RU 486 Abortion Death Begins
• Autopsy Results Show Abortion Drug Caused Holly Patterson‘s Death
• California woman‘s death re-ignites abortion pill debate
• “No Magic Pill”
• Mifepristone Questions and Answers
• CWA Calls on FDA to Act After Another Woman Dies From Abortion Pill
• Holly Patterson Received Proper Care Before Abortion Death, Hospital Says
• Woman dies after taking abortion pill
• FDA Investigating Holly Patterson‘s RU 486 Abortion Death
• California Teen Dies After Complications From Abortion Pill
• Dad seeks answers in death
• Teen‘s death is linked to use of abortion pill
• Abortion Pill Culprit In Death?
• Behind the Holly Patterson story
• The Death of Holly Patterson: RU-486 Claims Another Victim
• Officials Comment On ‘Abortion Pill’-Related Death
• Teen dead after abortion pill
• Abortion Pill Death May Re-Ignite Debate
• Abortion Pill Death
• After daughter‘s death, father wants close look at RU-486
• Girl 18, dies after taking RU-486 dispensed by Planned Parenthood
• Death at 18 Spurs Debate Over a Pill for Abortion
• FDA Investigating Death of California Teen Given Abortion Pill by Planned Parenthood Clinic
• “Teen’s death rekindles abortion pill battle,” Chicago Tribune, Nov. 30, 2003
• “Deaths after abortion pill use to be studied by regulators,” The (Palm Springs, CA) Desert Sun, Nov. 24, 2005