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, sent a letter to congressional leaders in support of the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act. The bill 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. Bishop Thomas wrote that Catholic teaching holds that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death and that both the mother and the preborn child possess equal, inherent dignity. He stressed that the abortion pill represents an isolating and harmful response to women in need, who deserve compassionate accompaniment and meaningful support to help them welcome their child.
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 more than twenty-five years ago, evidence has shown that the drug not only ends the lives of preborn children but also poses significant dangers to mothers.The Biden administration’s elimination of the in-person dispensing requirement has increased risks to women by removing the opportunity for professional assessment of pregnancy stage and ectopic pregnancies, while also making the drugs more susceptible to abuse and human trafficking.
Bishop Thomas concluded that the legislation would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion and its associated risks to both mothers and their unborn children. This push by the bishops highlights the moral imperative to protect both women and their unborn children from the dangers of chemical abortion. True compassion demands that society reject the culture of death and instead provide real support for mothers facing difficult pregnancies, affirming the dignity and value of every human life from conception.