Supreme Court appears to support F.D.A. in authorizing chemical abortion pills

As pro-abortion and pro-life supporters held signs outside the building, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments regarding whether abortion pills are safe, in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine.

Pro-abortion advocates say the abortion pill is safe, but pro-life advocates say the FDA skipped important safety protocols in approving the chemical abortion drugs and that too many women are ending up in the hospital due to complications.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Erin Hawley argued before the court. ADL summarized the arguments: “FDA began recklessly removing in-person doctor visits to check for ectopic pregnancies, severe bleeding, and life-threatening infections. It also removed reporting requirements that once provided doctors, women, and the public with better information about the serious risks associated with abortion drugs. ADF attorneys are asking the court to affirm the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit’s decision holding that the FDA acted unlawfully when it removed these safeguards.”

Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, and Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach joined the pro-life arguments and said the chemical abortion drugs are unsafe. When the drug was first approved, it had more safeguards, but those safeguards have been eroded through time. Now, four out of every 100 women who take the chemical abortion drugs will end up in the emergency room, the Alliance said. That is a higher injury rate than what the Centers for Disease Control says is documented for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Mifepristone and misoprostol are two drugs used in chemically induced abortions, More than half of all abortions in America today are through the use of these drugs, which are often used in combination.

Mifepristone blocks a woman’s progesterone hormone, which stops the baby from growing. Women aborting their babies take this pill and then up to 48 hours later take misoprostol, a chemical brew that causes cramping, bleeding, and the evacuation of the baby from what has become a toxic uterus.

By the end of the arguments on Tuesday, it appeared the majority of the Supreme Court will support the FDA’s expanded approval for these drugs, on the grounds that the challengers do not have standing to sue.