Erin Brockovich On Essure Birth Control: It's Not Safe

Erin Brockovich, the legal clerk and activist who became a household name after Julia Roberts portrayed her in Steven Soderbergh's 2000 movie, told ABC News that the birth control Essure is not safe.

The same woman who 1993 led a multimillion-dollar groundwater contamination case against Pacific Gas and Electric Co., has now made Essure, a form of birth control that's known to be harmful, her new project.

"There's something wrong with the device, in my opinion," Brockovich said. "It's a form of permanent birth control, and women's organs are being perforated … It's ridiculous that at any level we try to defend this. If 30 women did suffer harm for unknown reason, we'd investigate. We have thousands injured. I don't think it's safe."

Essure is supposed to be a simple and cheaper version to a hysterectomy. The procedure, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, places flexible coils inside the vagina and then into the fallopian tubes through the cervix. Next, the scar tissue that forms from the procedure will then block the tubes from insemination.

Brokovitch, 53, said it should be taken off the shelf since so many woman have been experiencing problems from Essure.

"Preemption is not about the Essure women -- it affects all consumers," she said. "If someone had a medical device installed, there's no recourse for victims, and the company is protected. If there's a problem, the company gets a pass, because they have preemption. It dawned on me the consumer didn't know. The women didn't know that this existed."

She said that women could be left feeling mislead by the company that makes the product, Bayer. “[Bayer] should care about the health and welfare of all people. Especially women and children in this country. If this many are reporting injuries, take it off the market. It’s not working. These women were misled. They feel they were scammed.”