The scientific community is mourning the death of Étienne-Émile Baulieu, the pioneering French biochemist who developed the abortion pill, RU-486, also known as mifepristone.
Baulieu passed away at the age of 98 in his Paris home on Friday, as confirmed by his widow, Simone Harari Baulieu.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) reports that Baulieu’s groundbreaking invention helped revolutionize reproductive healthcare by offering women across the world a non-surgical and medically approved method of terminating early pregnancies.
Born Étienne Blum on December 12, 1926, in Strasbourg, France, Baulieu was the son of a Jewish physician.
At the age of 15, he changed his name and joined the French resistance during the Nazi occupation of France.
After completing his education, Baulieu traveled to the United States, where he worked with Dr. Gregory Pincus, the man widely recognized as the “father of the birth control pill.” Under Pincus’s mentorship, Baulieu shifted his focus to reproductive hormones and how they could be manipulated to aid or prevent conception.
In the 1980s, Baulieu developed a method to block the hormone progesterone, a vital chemical that helps embryos attach to the uterus.
This scientific breakthrough laid the foundation for RU-486, an abortion pill that has since become widely used around the world.
Despite the innovation, Baulieu faced decades of pushback from political, religious, and anti-abortion groups.
Even after the abortion pill was officially approved in France in 1988 and later in the United States in 2000, he continued to receive threats and criticism.
Nevertheless, mifepristone has now been approved in over 100 countries.
The World Health Organization added it to its essential medicines list in 2010.
Still, access remains controversial in parts of the world.
In the U.S., several states have moved to limit or ban its use, with Wyoming becoming the first to enact a statewide ban in 2023.
While some opponents continue to claim the drug is dangerous, medical authorities such as the FDA and WHO consistently affirm its safety.
Data shows that the fatality rate from mifepristone is just 0.65 deaths per 100,000 users, far lower than the rate for common medications like aspirin, which has a fatality rate of over 15 per 100,000 users.
French President Emmanuel Macron praised Baulieu, calling him “a beacon of courage” and a visionary who advanced women’s rights through science.
In 2023, Macron awarded him the Grand Cross of the Legion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honor.
Aurore Bergé, France’s minister for gender equality, said Baulieu remained committed to human dignity throughout his life.
Despite his age, Baulieu remained active in scientific research. His recent work explored potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and severe depression.
Baulieu will be remembered not only for his scientific legacy but also for his relentless fight for women’s reproductive freedom, often in the face of hostility.
His contribution to modern medicine continues to impact millions of lives worldwide.
