(LifeSiteNews) — The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has criticized the FDA for approving a new generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone while it remains under investigation.
In a Monday letter Bishop Daniel E. Thomas, chairman of the USCCB, described the sudden approval as “jarring” and accused the FDA of facilitating the killing of more unborn children and putting mothers at risk.
“It is jarring and contradictory that, at the same time that the Food and Drug Administration is conducting a much-needed review of the supposed safety of the abortion pill for women, it is nonetheless approving a new generic for this deadly drug,” stated Bishop Thomas.
“The FDA took shortcuts in originally approving and loosening protocols for mifepristone, which enabled the killing of more children and placed the health of more women in danger.”
The FDA originally launched an investigation into the abortion pill after federal pressure urged the agency to address statistics regarding the safety of mothers taking it. On September 19, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. directed the FDA to review the safety of abortion pills, calling the statistics on injuries among women who take them “alarming.”
When presented with data that 11 percent of women who take abortion pills suffer adverse effects, RFK Jr. replied, “It’s alarming … at the very least, the label should be changed.”
“Based on that review, the FDA should consider reinstating safety protocols that it identified as necessary as recently as 2011 in its issuance of a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for mifepristone, but which were removed by the Obama and Biden administrations.”
Even after these comments, the FDA preemptively approved the drug in a letter dated September 30, despite the ongoing investigation into its safety.
Bishop Thomas singled out this contradictory behavior in his statement, noting that the FDA should have at least waited until the review was completed.
READ: Hawley demands answers from FDA on ‘surprise approval’ of new abortion pill
Bishop Thomas continued, “Even if it eventually had to be approved as a generic version of the same drug, to do so now and make it more available before a recently announced safety study can be completed and potentially save lives, is a shocking inconsistency.”
The USCCB originally voiced its opinion on the abortion pill in a July letter to the FDA.
On July 7, the USCCB issued a letter of concern to the FDA regarding mifepristone, following a request for a public commitment to review the safety of the drug. The USCCB expressed distress over the rise in abortions linked to their widespread use, as well as the serious adverse effects women may suffer from taking them.
“The totality of the medical evidence shows that the FDA has an ethical obligation to protect women from the dangers that mifepristone presents to women’s health and safety,” said the letter.
“While in this initiative we are focusing on the well-being of women, we want to stress that society is never served well by losing sight of the precious gift of life violated by abortion.”
Bishop Thomas concluded his statement with a plea to the FDA, expressing hope that the upcoming review of the drug will reveal the dangers associated with its widespread use.
“I pray that the forthcoming review of mifepristone will undo many of these tragic developments and that we may, instead, meet women with hope and meaningful support.”