A contraceptive device inserted into the female body has already caused the death of over 300 unborn children and should be pulled out from the market, a Pennsylvania congressman has revealed.
Republican Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick has accused the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of turning a blind eye on the foetal deaths and the harsh effects of the surgical sterilisation device called Essure to women's bodies.
Fitzpatrick, who is being supported by some victims of this birth control device, charged that the FDA's own data indicated that it already has "adverse event reports" including miscarriages, ectopic pregnancies, and stillborn deaths.
He added that the agency failed to thoroughly follow up complaints it has received that Essure has killed unborn babies, and even underreported the magnitude of the situation.
"When it comes to data reporting we're talking about more than just numbers. We're talking about 300 unborn children who were killed because of the failure of a product," the lawmaker said, as quoted by LifesiteNews.
"They've been telling me that with respect to Essure, there have been five foetal deaths," he added. "If you actually read the narratives of those reports that have been filed, those complains, the number exceeds 300."
According to its own website, Essure claims itself to be a "permanent birth control" method that can help a woman "stop worrying about an unplanned pregnancy." It involves the insertion of a metal coil into a woman's fallopian tubes.
This irritates the fallopian tubes, creates a scar tissue and blocks the woman's eggs from being released into the uterus for fertilisation.
"Women are being harmed. Citizens are being harmed," Fitzpatrick said.
The lawmaker has already filed a bill in Congress seeking to permanently ban the sale of Essure.
"The failures of Essure are well documented and wide-ranging," Fitzpatrick earlier said. "Yet in the face of all these facts, this device remains in the market, certified with the FDA's stamp of approval. That's unacceptable to me and unacceptable to the tens of thousands of 'Essure sisters' who are living with this device's effects."
