31 years old Nadine Walkowiak had already four children from a first marriage and with Christian Polveche, five more, that they were rearing together at home. In March 1991, Nadine, wondering about a new pregnancy, consulted the family physician, Doctor Patrick Annic. The day after, he gave her a letter for the Family Planning group in Lens, France. On March 21st, Nadine Walkowiak went there and did the formalities necessary for an abortion, then was aborted immediately by taking 3 tablets of mifegyne 200 mg (RU-486) in the presence of Doctor Pas, physician of the abortion centre of Lens.
The legal reflection waiting period (1 week) for an abortion application was thus not respected. On March 23rd 1991 at 10.15am, Ms Walkowiak received an intramuscular shot of half an ampoule (250 micrograms) of Nalador. She died on the same day at 8pm of massive coronary thrombosis.
Mr. Polveche is now alone to rear his five children. It forced him to quit his job, because he refuses to put them in the DASS (public orphanage) due to his parental love and his sense of parental duty.
This whole affair would have been kept confidential if a journalist of the regional daily La Voix du Nord had not received a phone call from one of his informers in the hospital. So he was able to go there immediately and make an inquiry. This and the simple understanding of statistics incite us to believe that Nadine Walkowiak is not the only victim of RU486, all journalists do not have good informers in hospitals.