Merck sued over harm done by hormonal contraceptive ring

This article from Lifesite News tells of the dangers of contraceptives.  I have been waiting for the tide to turn on hormonal contraceptives that have such harmful effects on women.  I expect, someday, that there will be an uprising against these manufacturers much like the suits filed against "big tobacco."  Think of it, a new catch-phrase, "big birth control" or "the big pill." 

It is terribly sad that many Catholics, clergy and laity alike, have fallen victim to the hype and false promises of the pill.  It would be somewhat poetic, if not ironic, if the "pill" was killed by products liability lawsuits, rather than moral teaching.  Let's see, would that be the natural law at work? 

April 26, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Over 700 lawsuits against Merck Pharmaceuticals are moving forward in U.S. court, even as the company is fending off accusations of ethical violations for its attempts to market the NuvaRing birth control device overseas, without making mention of its risks.


The lawsuits allege serious injury and death caused by the use of the NuvaRing - a small ring which is inserted into the vagina for three weeks, then removed for a week and reinserted. It sends a constant flow of hormones into the body in order to suppress fertility.

The device was approved by the FDA in 2001 and acquired by Merck in 2009 when it merged with pharmaceutical giant Schering-Plough Corp. Merck reported $559 million in NuvaRing sales last year.

According to the website aboutlawsuits.com, 730 lawsuits had been filed against Merck by the end of 2010 claiming side effects ranging from strokes and heart attacks to sudden death.