“Attention now turns to the Fifth Circuit Court, which is set to hear oral arguments on the merits of the case regarding the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) illegal approval process for mifepristone,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) in response to today’s Supreme Court ruling to allow the chemical abortion drug to be available in the interim.

            “Mifepristone was created to starve unborn babies to death—that’s how it works—and poses significant risks to the mother’s health,” said Smith, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus.

            “Beginning with President Clinton, the FDA—supposedly our gatekeeper for drug safety—has actively promoted the abortion poison/baby starvation pill and failed to strictly adhere to its own testing protocols that should have been designed to protect women and girls.

            “Tragically, the FDA has instead enabled the abortion industry to prey on women and girls during their most vulnerable moments of need and has gone so far as to classify pregnancy as an ‘illness.’

            “Today, ‘adverse’ health events—complications—aren’t even reported to the FDA. That is outrageous and does a grave disservice to women.”

            Smith cited the complaint filed by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which notes that in addition to killing the unborn child, abortion poison/baby starvation pills present significant health risks to women:

• Chemical abortion has a complication rate four times higher than surgical abortions—with chemical-abortion-related ER visits increasing over 500 percent between 2002-2015;
• One in five women who undergo a chemical abortion will suffer a complication, including life-threatening hemorrhage, infection, need for emergency surgery, inability to have future successful pregnancies, or even death; and
• Taking mifepristone with an unknown ectopic pregnancy is life-threatening. An ultrasound is the best way to confirm the baby’s age and to make sure the pregnancy is not ectopic, which mifepristone cannot treat; however, the FDA has never required an ultrasound prior to a chemical abortion.

            “Since the FDA failed to uphold its duty, the group of highly ethical doctors in this case have been relentlessly pursuing the truth in their efforts to hold the FDA accountable and I am grateful for their tenacity over the past 20 years,” Smith said.

            “After trying to hold the FDA accountable for more than two decades, these doctors are finally getting their day in court and the safety of women and girls is finally taking priority. We will continue to support these life-affirming doctors as this case moves forward to address the merits—with arguments scheduled in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on May 17^th.”

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