The French-made abortion pill RU-486 is being illegally offered to some women in Toronto.

The Canadian Press reports that a woman doctor, who will not identify herself, has been offering the abortion pill as an option to women who don’t want to have surgical abortions. She would not say how she came in possession of the drug nor how many women have used it under her auspices.

The pill works by blocking the hormone progesterone which is critical in the development of the baby during pregnancy. After a period of several days, the woman takes a dose of prostaglandins which cause contractions and the dead baby is expelled.

Campaign Life Coalition President Jim Hughes said the fact that a doctor is prescribing the abortion pill illegally does not surprise him at all, “These anti-life people are always breaking the law in order to change it.”

Alliance for Life reacted to the news by saying that pro-abortion groups are promoting women’s bodies “as the only politically correct place left to dump chemicals.” In a press release the Winnipeg-based pro-life organization called on the pill’s manufacturer, Hoechst-Roussel, to issue an “immediate world-wide recall of this dangerous ‘home-alone’ abortion method.” The press release also pointed out the side effects which include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, cramping and severe bleeding.

Joanne Marcotte of the Montreal Women’s Health Centre also opposed the use of RU-486, calling it a “chemical cocktail.”

Roussel-Uclaf maintains that it will not enter countries where it has not been invited by the government.

Canadian pro-abortion advocates are now seeking to arrange a meeting with the Population Council, who have garnered the right for testing in the U.S. They hope to secure the patent rights for RU-486 and negotiate a deal which would bring the pill into Canada