A leading U.S. Catholic bishop has issued a blistering condemnation of the FDA’s recent decision to approve a generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone, calling it a “shocking inconsistency” that both endangers women’s health and accelerates the death toll of unborn children. Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo—a key figure in the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ pro-life efforts—urged the agency to reverse course immediately, particularly as a federal safety review is already underway.
Bishop Thomas highlighted the hypocrisy of approving broader access to a drug whose safety is under fresh scrutiny. He pointed out that the FDA is simultaneously conducting a real-world safety study of mifepristone, yet has greenlighted a cheaper, more accessible version before that review is even complete. This, he argued, puts countless women and innocent lives at needless risk. “Mothers in need and their preborn children deserve better,” he said.
The bishop also criticized prior deregulation of the drug under the Biden administration, asserting that reducing oversight and loosening restrictions over time “enabled the killing of more children and placed the health of more women in danger.” He emphasized that the timing is especially egregious given that the HHS has already initiated investigations into serious adverse effects associated with chemical abortion, including hemorrhaging, infection, and sepsis.
Pro-life groups warn that cheap, generically available mifepristone will flood the market and drive up the abortion rate, particularly when earlier barriers are stripped away. Chemical abortions already account for about 63 % of all abortions in America, with mifepristone used in more than half of those cases.
Bishop Thomas concluded with a plea: that the ongoing safety review reverse this damaging approval, and that policymakers shift their focus toward real support for women—offering genuine alternatives and care rather than expanding access to abortion. The struggle, he affirmed, is not just legal or political but moral: to safeguard vulnerable lives and uphold the health and dignity of mothers and children alike.
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