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The French scientist who created the abortion drug passed away at the age of 98.
The étienne-émile Baulieu supported the development of the oral drug RU-486, also known as Mifepristone.
Dr. Bauriu passed away on Friday at his Paris home, his widow confirmed in a statement.
Simone Harari Bauriu said, “His research was guided by his commitment to advancement in science, his commitment to women’s freedom, and his desire to enable everyone to live a better life.”
French President Emmanuel Macron called Dr. Bauriu a “beacon of courage” and a “progressive mind that enabled women to win freedom.”
“There were few people who changed the world to this extent by which the French people,” he added in an X post.
Auroa Berguet, French Minister of Gender Equality, said Dr. Bauriu was “led throughout his life by one requirement of human dignity.”
Dr. Bauriu was born in Strasbourg on December 12, 1926 to Etienne Bloom. He changed his name at the age of 15 to participate in French resistance to Nazi occupation.
After graduating he traveled to the United States where he worked with a man known as Dr. Gregory Pincus, the father of birth control pills. Dr. Pincus advised him to focus on sex hormones.
Back in France, Dr. Bauriu designed a method to block the effects of the hormone progesterone. This is essential for the egg to be implanted into the uterus after fertilization.
Abortion drugs were developed within 10 years, but despite decades facing intense criticism of international government, Dr. Bauriu has come to approve the drug despite threats from abortion opposition.
The World Health Organization (WHO) added it to its list of essential medicines only in 2010.
Presenting him with the grand cross of Legion Danour in 2023, Macron said:
“But you were firm from your love for freedom and science.”
When Wyoming became the first US state to ban abortion drugs in 2023, Dr. Bauriu pointed out that he spent most of his life trying to increase “female freedom.”
His recent research included trying to find ways to prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and treating severe depression.
