A mass e-mail has publicized the reported existence of a new date rape drug in connection with a Breaux Bridge woman’s sexual assault. But, evidence now proves that both the drug and the incident are fabrications.
According to the e-mail, Progesterex is a small pill used to sedate and sterilize horses. It is combined with the drug Rohypnol to sterilize a woman during a sexual assault, and the effects are permanent.
The e-mail said that a woman was taken by five men who gang raped her and dumped her body at Mumbai nightclub in Breaux Bridge. The e-mail was signed by Paul DuBois, Breaux Bridge Adolescent Drug Court Coordinator.
“All you have to do is drop it in a girl’s drink and the victim doesn’t conceive from the rape, and the rapist needn’t worry about having a paternity test identifying him months later,” the e-mail said. “The weasels can get this drug from anyone who is in vet school or any university.”
Despite the message’s “official” appearance, evidence proves that the drug does not exist.
However, the message does have a valid origin.
“[DuBois] originally sent a version of that message out after being warned of Progesterex by what he believed to be reliable sources,” said Chelsea Comeaux, secretary for the Breaux Bridge Drug Court. “The next day he was informed that this was a hoax and retracted his statement. Someone added information, including the fictitious name of a nightclub, and kept sending the e-mail with his name on it.”
Comeaux said that Mumbai nightclub in Breaux Bridge, where the incident allegedly took place, does not exist in the city.
Progesterex’s nonexistence has been confirmed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine, the American Veterinary Medical Association, Cornell University, Equine and Farm Animal Hospital and the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.
“I have never heard of the drug Progesterex or any other drug that would have similar effects,” said Dr. Joseph Taboada, associate dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine.
According to the Columbia University’s Health Web site, similar e-mails about Progesterex first made appearances in 1999. Numerous versions have been written, inciting fear at many college campuses including Cornell University and Pennsylvania State University.
Each e-mail is tailored to the campus where it is being distributed, claiming that a local incident occurred.
Despite its misleading nature, the e-mail did include some legitimate advice about date rape: A person should be careful when they are out, and not leave their drink unattended.
Recipients of this e-mail are advised to ignore its content and not forward it to other users, Comeaux said.