Pioneer of the Abortion Pill, who developed the pill, passes away at 98 in Paris.
Venerable French researcher Étienne-Émile Baulieu, renowned for inventing the abortion pill RU 486, passed away at the age of 98 in his Paris residence on Friday.
Born Étienne Blum on December 12, 1926, in Strasbourg, Baulieu adopted the surname Baulieu at the age of 15 during his involvement in the French Resistance against Nazi occupation.
His career spanned several decades and various fields, earning him a degree in medicine in 1955 and a doctorate in science in 1963. In the same year, he founded a pioneering research unit dedicated to hormone studies at INSERM (Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale). Baulieu led this unit until 1997, and his work focused on steroid hormones and hormonal mechanisms.
The culmination of Baulieu's groundbreaking work came in 1982 with the development of RU-486, an antihormone that blocks progesterone and enables medication-induced termination of early pregnancy. This invention revolutionized reproductive healthcare and expanded women's reproductive autonomy globally. Despite facing criticism and threats from anti-abortion groups, Baulieu remained steadfast in advocating for women's rights and access to safe abortion.
Baulieu often spoke of the importance of scientific progress for human dignity and freedom, and he was even called a "beacon of courage" and a "progressive mind who enabled women to win their freedom" by French President Emmanuel Macron.
In addition to his work on RU-486, Baulieu also developed a treatment for depression currently undergoing clinical trials in several university hospitals. He founded the Baulieu Institute in 2008, focusing on the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's.
Baulieu is survived by his wife, Simone Harari Baulieu, his three children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. The contributions of this world-renowned scientist will undoubtedly continue to impact healthcare and society for generations to come.
Despite being a renowned scientist and inventor of the abortion pill RU 486, it's important to note that I'm not a doctor. Baulieu's groundbreaking work in health-and-wellness, mental-health, and women's health extended beyond RU 486, with his ongoing work focused on treating depression and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.
