Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Feb 15, 2023 / 16:25 pm
Several Catholic organizations are making their voices heard in the legal battle against the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of an abortion-inducing drug by signing onto an amicus brief in a lawsuit against the agency.
Mifepristone, which the FDA approved in 2000, can be used to abort a preborn child up to 10 weeks of gestation. Although a prescription is needed, a person can receive a prescription for the drug without having any in-person care and obtain the drug in person or through the mail.
A pro-life health organization, the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, filed a lawsuit against the FDA in Texas, which claims the FDA failed to abide by its legal obligations when approving the drug. The group is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom. The lawsuit alleges that the FDA never studied the drug under its current labeled conditions of use and “ignored the potential impacts of the hormone-blocking regimen on the developing bodies of adolescent girls.” It also states that the agency disregarded evidence that chemical abortions cause more complications than surgical abortions.
The lawsuit further alleges that the FDA recently eliminated certain safeguards. In January, the FDA changed its rules to permanently allow mifepristone to be provided through the mail, which the lawsuit claims is a violation of federal law. In January, the FDA also approved the sale of mifepristone through pharmacies if they receive FDA certification. The FDA has not granted any certifications so far, but the pharmacy chains CVS and Walgreens are currently working with the federal government to get approval.