Lawmakers sought Thursday the immediate passage of a bill that would penalize the sale of an antacid said to cause abortion or miscarriage, saying its continued availability in the market endangers the lives of pregnant women and the babies in their womb.

Buhay Party Reps. Irwin Tieng and Ma. Carissa Coscolluela specifically moved to ban the drug called Cytotec or Misoprostol, saying that the drug is being used as an abortifacient although it was originally designed as just an antacid.

Their call was contained in House Bill 7000, which seeks to penalize the sale and distribution of the drug.

“The bill prohibits any person to sell and dispense, for whatever purpose and whatever manner, Cytotec or Misoprostol drug,” Tieng said.

Tieng explained that Cytotec or Misoprostol drug was originally created to reduce stomach acids and prevent or treat stomach ulcers but was later discovered being used as an abortifacient.

In 1994, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) issued a memorandum circular limiting the sale and dispensing of the drug to tertiary hospital pharmacies and big drugstore chains.

Tieng said the manufacturer of Cytotec voluntarily withdrew the product in 1998 from the market although reports reached the BFAD said the drug is still being sold by sidewalk vendors.

Under the bill, violators face six years imprisonment and a fine of not less than P50,000.

If the offender is a licensed professional, the concerned agency is mandated to set sanctions on the offender.

For offenders who are aliens, they shall be subject to deportation proceedings after complying with the penalty of imprisonment and fine for such violation.

Velarde said the penalties are in consonance with the constitutional provision that recognizes the sanctity of family life and protects and strengthens the family as the nation’s basic autonomous social institution.