Catholic Bishops Urge Congress to Revoke FDA Approval of Abortion Pill

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The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities is calling on Congress to pass legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of mifepristone, the primary drug used in chemical abortions. Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, said Catholic teaching holds that all human life is sacred from conception and that both the mother and the preborn child possess equal, inherent dignity.

Why it matters

This push by the Catholic bishops highlights the ongoing moral and political debate over abortion rights and the use of abortion-inducing medications. The bishops argue that mifepristone not only ends the lives of unborn children but also poses significant dangers to mothers, and that the legislation would help protect both women and their unborn children.

The details

Bishop Thomas wrote in support of the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, which would withdraw the FDA's approval of mifepristone for abortions, prohibit its labeling for that use, and allow individuals harmed by the drug to sue its manufacturers. He stressed that 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. The bishop also criticized the Biden administration's elimination of the in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion pill, arguing it has increased risks to women by removing the opportunity for professional assessment of pregnancy stage and ectopic pregnancies.

• The FDA first approved mifepristone for use in abortions more than 25 years ago.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act would need to pass both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate before being signed into law by the president.