Progesterex

Progesterex is a fictitious date rape drug. It is part of a hoax that began to circulate in 1999 via e-mail on the internet. No actual drug by this name or even with these properties exists, and no such incident has ever been documented or confirmed. Typical contents of the e-mail hoax are as follows, although different versions tend to turn up over time: "A woman at a nightclub called _______ on Saturday night was taken by 5 men, who according to hospital and police reports, gang raped her before dumping her. Unable to remember the events of the evening, tests later confirmed the repeat rapes along with traces of Rohypnol in her blood and Progesterex, essentially a small sterilization pill. The drug is now being used by rapists at parties to rape AND sterilize their victims. Progesterex is available to vets to sterilize large animals. Progesterex is being used together with Rohypnol, the date rape drug. As with Rohypnol, all they have to do is drop it into the girl's drink. The girl can't remember a thing the next morning, of all that had taken place the night before. Progesterex, which dissolves in drinks just as easily, is such that the victim doesn't conceive from the rape and the rapist needn't worry about having a paternity test identifying him months later. The drug's effects ARE NOT TEMPORARY - Progesterex was designed to sterilize horses. Any female who takes it WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CONCEIVE.. The weasels can get this drug from anyone who is in the vet school or any university. It's that easy, and Progesterex is about to break out big on campuses everywhere. Believe it or not, there are even sites on the Internet telling people how to use it. Please forward this to everyone you know, especially girls. Be careful when you're out and don't leave your drink unattended. Please make the effort to forward this on to all you know... Guys, please inform all your female friends and relatives."

A version of this hoax has also recently made the rounds via bulletins on MySpace.com (July 2006). It made it to Bebo in September-October 2006.

A version of this hoax has been seen on Facebook (Jan 2008), Tagged (July2008)and in the form of a group named "Heads Up Ladies", and sports the same story as listed above.

According to the Spanish language website VSAntirus.com at least two versions in Spanish have made the rounds since 2001 as well.

Furthermore, no sterilization pill for horses exists. Sterilization is done via gelding of stallions. Mares are usually left unaltered.

In addition to this, vet students do not have access to drugs. Drugs can only be prescribed by a qualified, registered veterinarian (Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons - MRCVS - in UK).

On 18 April 2006 UK Member of Parliament Lynne Featherstone submitted a Written Question to the Home Secretary on whether the Home Office had calculated the number of date rape incidences that had been connected with Progesterex. Home Office Minister Paul Goggins replied that the drug did not exist. [http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2006-04-18c.63360.h&s=Progesterex#g63360.q0] [http://www.lynnefeatherstone.org/2006/05/progesterex.htm]

External links

* [http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blprogesterex.htm Urbanlegends.about.com article on the Progesterex Urban Legend]
* [http://www.snopes.com/toxins/progest.htm Snopes.com article on the Progesterex Urban Legend]
* [http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/1597.html GoAskAlice!: "Progesterex": Horse and Human Sterilizer, date rape drug, or Urban Legend?]
* [http://www.vsantivirus.com/progesterex.htm Hoax: Progesterex. La droga de los violadores]