In the midst of court action surrounding women receiving the “abortion pill” mifepristone via telehealth and the mail, the U.S. bishops are speaking up for the health and safety of women as well as their unborn babies.
Court back-and-forth
On Monday morning, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito issued an administrative stay that temporarily restored the ability for women to receive mifepristone – the first of two pills needed for one form of a first-trimester abortion – by mail, without an in-person doctor’s visit.
This stay is a hold on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s decision last week to order the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reinstate regulations that include that the use of mifepristone pills for abortions can only be received in person, rather than through the mail.
Following the 5th Circuit Court’s order, Danco Laboratories and GenBioPro, two drug companies that manufacture forms of mifepristone, made an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court’s stay is a temporary response to this emergency appeal, giving them time to review the appeal for several days.
Bishop of Toledo advocates for life and safety
On May 4, before the Supreme Court’s stay, Chair of the USCCB’s Pro-life Activities Committee Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo wrote a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary. In it, he wrote asking for the FDA’s review of mifepristone to be completed, noting reports of what seems to be a “deliberate delay.”
In the letter, he writes,
Without sacrificing scientific rigor and accuracy, we nonetheless urgently encourage the FDA to proceed as expeditiously as possible with its safety review and to, at the very least, restore the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS), if not revisit the legally dubious approval of the drug altogether.
In-person doctor’s appointments are important, he goes on, to help assess gestational age and ectopic pregnancies, as well as to “screen for abuse and human trafficking.”
Caring for both mothers and children
Church teaching on any intended abortion, including the use of abortion pills, is that it is the deliberate ending of a human life and “a grave evil.” At the same time, Bishop Thomas writes, “In the case of mifepristone, we seek to prevent tragedy for both the baby and the mother.”
Bishop Thomas cites unknown numbers of complications as well as the deaths of at least 36 women. “This may be an underestimate,” he continues, because of noted problems with misreporting of issues caused by mifepristone.
“We hope you will agree that vulnerable mothers in need do not deserve the isolation and danger of telemedicine chemical abortion. Instead, we must do better to meet mothers with compassionate, meaningful, and authentic support that enables them and their families to welcome their new children into the world.”
People on both sides of the abortion debate see dangers beyond medical issues in obtaining the pills through the mail, including the possibility that a woman could be forced to take them (such as by a rapist or trafficker) or given the pills without her knowledge.
What’s next
The debate over mail-order mifepristone, as well as over the pill itself, is far from over. Soon, the Supreme Court’s temporary stay of the 5th Circuit Court will end, and the Supreme Court will decide whether the drug companies’ appeal has merit. In addition, the FDA’s review of mifepristone and its REMs is still anticipated, which will in turn help determine the future of access to mifepristone by mail, notably in states like Louisiana where abortion is illegal.
Abortion pill reversals
A website with a hotline is here, explaining the process and offering help to women.
