A group of pro-life organizations have opposed Joe Biden’s nominee to head the FDA. They cite his support for the approval of mail-in abortion pills and ignoring the risk they present to women.
The nominee, Robert Califf, who held this position under the Obama administration, helped reduce the requirements and guidelines for reporting safety concerns with mail-in abortion pills. He helped make a pregnant woman’s death the only effect needing to be reported to the FDA.
The coalition of pro-life groups, led by the Susan B. Anthony List, organized an open letter explaining how Califf’s appointment would hinder the pro-life movement as a whole. “With a track record of rubber-stamping abortion industry demands and with permanent authorization of unsafe mail-order abortion hanging in the balance, Califf is the wrong choice for FDA commissioner. We urge you to vote ‘no’ on his nomination.”
The letter also notes a study which states that, “The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System is woefully inadequate to determine the post-marketing safety of mifepristone due to [the system’s] inability to adequately assess the frequency or severity of adverse events.” The study shows that even with the inefficiency of the FDA’s data, there were 20 reported deaths from chemical abortions and about 600 life-threatening emergencies, and more than 2,000 other severe events reported in 2021.
Along with this letter social media users have weighed in on this situation.
The organization Students for Life, led by Kristan Hawkins, called on their followers to contact their Senate representatives to oppose the nomination of Robert Califf
Democratic Senator Joe Manchin also took to Twitter to express his disapproval of Califf and the disregard for public health he has shown.