Rome – French scientist Etienne-Emile Baulieu, better known as the inventor of the abortion pill, died Friday at the age of 98 at his home in Paris, said his institute in a press release.
Doctor and researcher, Baulieu was known worldwide for the scientific, medical and social meaning of his work on steroid hormones.
“His research was guided by his attachment to progress made possible by science, his commitment to the freedom of women and his desire to allow everyone to live better lives and longer lives,” said the Baulieu Institute in the press release published on his website.
Born Etienne Blum in Strasbourg on December 12, 1926, he took the name “Émile Baulieu” when he joined the French resistance against the Nazi occupation at the age of 15.
An endocrinologist with a doctorate in medicine completed in 1955 and one in science eight years later, in 1963, Baulieu founded a pioneer research unit working on hormones at Inserm, the French Institute of Health and Medical Research. He remained at the head of the unit until 1997.
It is best known for its development, in 1982, of Ru 486, the so-called “abortion pill” which changed the lives of millions of women around the world, offering them the possibility of a voluntary medical interruption of pregnancy, in physical and psychological security.
The Baulieu Institute said it was “a non -invasive, less aggressive and less delayed method than surgery”, noting that after his discovery, the researcher was faced with fierce criticism and even the threats of opponents of the rights to the abortion of women.
“Even today, access to this method is opposed, prohibited in some countries, and is currently disputed in the United States, where it is the most used method of abortion,” added the Institute.
Baulieu’s research on the DHEA, a hormone of which he had discovered secretion and anti -aging activity, led him to work on neurosteroids – or steroids of the nervous system. He also developed an original treatment to combat depression, for which a clinical trial is currently underway in several university hospitals.
In 2008, he founded the Baulieu Institute to understand, prevent and treat neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer.
Honored by the great buttons of the Legion of Honor (Legion of Honor) and the National Order of Merit (National Order of Merit), he was elected to the French Academy of Sciences in 1982, which he presided over in 2003 and 2004.
He was a member of the National Advisory Committee for Life and Health Sciences (1996-2002) and received numerous awards, in France and abroad.
French President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Baulieu in an article on X, calling him “a lighthouse of courage” and “a progressive spirit that allowed women to win their freedom”.
“Few French have changed the world to such a measure,” he added.
After the death of his first wife, Yolande Companion, he remarried, to Simone Harari Baulieu. He leaves to mourn three children, eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren, said his institute.
