(LifeSiteNews) — Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Pro-Life Activities, has urged Congress to end FDA approval of chemical abortion pills.
In a letter to Sen. Josh Hawley (R–MO) and Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R–TN), Thomas expressed the USCCB’s support for the “Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act.”
The bill (S.4066/H.R.7902) would withdraw the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone for abortions.
Thomas stated that the bill would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion itself as well as its associated risks to the mothers. He emphasized the bishops’ opposition to the chemical abortion drug both due to its purpose of terminating life and because the abortion pill represents an isolating and harmful response to women in need.
“Catholic teaching holds that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death and that both the life of the mother and the preborn child possess equal, inherent dignity,” explained Thomas. He continued:
Chemical abortions now account for almost two-thirds of all abortions in the United States, resulting in hundreds of thousands of preborn children lost each year. Since mifepristone was first approved over twenty-five years ago, a growing body of evidence has emerged suggesting that the use of this drug, as part of the two-drug regimen for chemical abortion, not only ends the lives of preborn children but also poses significant dangers to mothers.
The elimination of the in-person dispensing requirement during the Biden Administration would seem likely to increase risks to women by removing the opportunity for professional assessment of factors such as the stage of pregnancy and whether it is ectopic, and by preventing meaningful follow-up. It also may make abortion drugs more readily exploited by abusers and human traffickers.
“As a pharmacist for decades prior to now serving in U.S. House of Representatives, I believe every drug approved in the United States must meet the highest standards of safety, transparency, and medical oversight,” said Congresswoman Diana Harshbarger when she and Sen. Hawley introduced the legislative measures.
“Yet the FDA under previous administrations has steadily dismantled critical safeguards surrounding the abortion drug mifepristone – removing in-person dispensing requirements, allowing the drug to be shipped through the mail, and limiting adverse event reporting so the most serious complications are no longer tracked. Evidence now suggests that real world risks to women are greater than the federal government has acknowledged,” she added.
“The chemical abortion drug, mifepristone, is not safe for women. One recent study found nearly 11% of women who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit, or another serious adverse event within 45 days,” noted a statement from Rep. Harshbarger’s office. “New data indicates these complications were even more common after safety measures – such as in-person dispensing – were removed by President Biden.”
The statement further explained:
Corporate manufacturers of the abortion drug are profiting while women are harmed. The maker of mifepristone, Danco Laboratories, first registered in the Cayman Islands and received backing from prominent liberal billionaires, including George Soros and private equity managers. Its ownership structure is designed to evade scrutiny and escape liability. In 2022, the company’s CFO said investments in the company had been “extremely profitable.” Chemical abortion rates, and the harm to women, have only increased since then.
“The science is clear: the chemical abortion drug is inherently dangerous to women and prone to abuse. Yet major companies like Danco Laboratories are making billions off it,” said Sen. Hawley. “That’s why I am introducing new legislation to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion and empower women to sue its manufacturers. Congress must act now to protect the health and safety of women.”