The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is backing federal legislation that would revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) controversial approval of mifepristone, the most widely used chemical abortion drug in the U.S.
Bishop Daniel Thomas, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Pro-Life Activities and bishop of Toledo, wrote a letter to the bill’s sponsors April 1 in support of the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act (S. 4066 / H.R. 7902). The bill would withdraw FDA approval of mifepristone for abortions, make labeling it for that purpose unlawful, and allow women harmed by the drug to sue its manufacturers.
Bishop Thomas grounded the bishops' support in Catholic teaching, writing that "both the life of the mother and the preborn child possess equal, inherent dignity."
“The abortion pill represents an isolating and harmful response to women in need, who deserve better in the form of compassionate accompaniment and meaningful support to help them welcome their child,” he wrote.
Bishop Thomas said the bishops' concern goes beyond reducing abortion rates – their aim is also to "prevent double tragedies and save the health and lives of mothers who would take the deadly drug."
He pointed to the Biden administration's elimination of mifepristone's in-person dispensing requirement as a key safety risk, saying it removed the opportunity for physicians to assess gestational age and whether a pregnancy is ectopic. The move may also have made the drug easier to exploit by abusers and traffickers, he argued.
The letter stated that the U.S. bishops have opposed mifepristone remaining on the market and advocated to at the very least restore the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) with respect to it, safety protocols that required in-person dispensing and follow-up care before they were rolled back.
“In withdrawing FDA approval of mifepristone for abortion, prohibiting its being labeled for abortion, and ensuring a private right of action against manufacturers, the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion itself and all of its associated risks to the mothers as well,” Bishop Thomas wrote.
About the bill
As Zeale News previously reported, chemical abortions now account for almost two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S., resulting in hundreds of thousands of preborn children lost each year.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the legislation March 11 alongside a companion House bill from Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn. Three Senate Republicans have since co-sponsored the bill: John Cornyn of Texas, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
"The science is clear,” Hawley said at a March 11 press conference introducing the legislation: “The chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse."
The FDA firstapproved mifepristone in September 2000. Thomas wrote that the bill "would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion itself and all of its associated risks to the mothers," and urged members of both chambers to support and pass it.