Bishops’ pro-life chair backs longshot bill to revoke mifepristone’s FDA approval

WASHINGTON (OSV News) — Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, Ohio, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, offered his support to legislation that would revoke the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone for abortions. However, the bill faces long odds in Congress.

The Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, introduced in March by Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., and Rep. Diana Harshbarger, R-Tenn., would end the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug commonly, but not exclusively, used for first trimester abortion.

Bishop Thomas wrote in an April 1 letter to those lawmakers, “Catholic teaching holds that all human life is sacred from the moment of conception until natural death and that both the life of the mother and the preborn child possess equal, inherent dignity.”

“The U.S. bishops have frequently stressed how the abortion pill represents an isolating and harmful response to women in need, who deserve better in the form of compassionate accompaniment and meaningful support to help them welcome their child,” the letter said.

However, the path forward for the legislation was not clear, as President Donald Trump indicated as a candidate for president in 2024 he would veto a national abortion ban if one reached his desk. Abortion restrictions have failed to gain traction in Congress since the Supreme Court’s 2022 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which overturned its previous precedent that held abortion as a constitutional right.

But Bishop Thomas argued, “In withdrawing FDA approval of mifepristone for abortion, prohibiting its being labeled for abortion, and ensuring a private right of action against manufacturers, the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion itself and all of its associated risks to the mothers as well.”

Mifepristone, the first of two drugs used in a medication-based abortion, was approved by the FDA in 2000 and gained the moniker “the abortion pill.” Medication abortions, sometimes called chemical abortions, account for the majority of abortions in the U.S., according to multiple studies.

Proponents of the drug argue it is statistically safe for a woman to take, and attempts to restrict mifepristone are an attempt to ban abortion outright. In contrast, opponents of the drug’s use for abortion argue there are significant risks to those who take it, particularly outside of medical settings, in addition to ending the life of an unborn child.

Some pro-life leaders have expressed frustration with the Trump administration’s approach to mifepristone, notably with their ongoing efforts to roll back eased restrictions on the drug implemented by the Biden administration. Over a year into Trump’s second term, the Trump administration has thus far left that regulation in place.

The FDA under the Trump administration recently approved a new generic form of the drug.

FDA officials previously pledged mifepristone would undergo a safety review. However, the status and timeline of the FDA’s review is unclear.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has asked multiple judges to pause state lawsuits seeking to roll back Biden administration-era eased restrictions on mifepristone, arguing those court cases would interfere with its review. In one such filing in Louisiana, the Justice Department said such reviews often take one year.

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