Many innocent babies before Indiana have suffered when their mothers took antidepressants. In fact, the FDA’s adverse drug reaction reports in the last four years alone state that antidepressants have caused:

• 145 spontaneous abortions,
• 150 premature babies,
• 208 babies born with heart disease, and
• 218 babies born with defects.

In December 2005, the FDA ordered a warning label on the antidepressant Paxil, warning of the potential for heart defects in newborns of mothers taking antidepressants during their first trimester of pregnancy. (See http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/paroxetine200512.htm.)

In February 2006, the FDA's Advisory Committee recommended label warnings for ALL SSRI antidepressants, warning of lung disease in newborns of mothers taking antidepressants. Their recommendations followed a study showing infant lung disease is 6 times more likely when the mother is taking an antidepressant during the last half of her pregnancy: 1 in 100 babies will contract a lung disease called "persistent pulmonary hypertension," 10-20 percent of those will die, and others will suffer from brain damage and hearing loss. (See http://www.psycport.com/stories/knightridder_2006_02_09_krtbn_0000-0017-GL-ANTIDEPRESS-20060209.xml.html.

A related Israeli study recently showed that one-third of babies born to antidepressant-consuming women suffered withdrawal symptoms—including tremors, seizures, muscle tensing, gastrointestinal problems, and sleep disturbances—during the first 48 hours after delivery. (See http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-02/jaaj-aud020206.php.)

With over 30 million people on antidepressant drugs in this country, surely hundreds of thousands are taking them during pregnancy, and more Indiana tragedies are no doubt occurring, and will continue to occur.