Catholics for Choice on Today’s Mifepristone Ruling
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, April 7, 2023
Contact: John Becker, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 203-0931
Email: jbecker@catholicsforchoice.org
Catholics for Choice Denounces Federal Court Ruling on Mifepristone
“By going after mifepristone, which is only used in the earliest stages of pregnancy, abortion opponents reveal a chilling truth… overturning Roe was only the beginning.”
WASHINGTON – Catholics for Choice, which uplifts and amplifies the voices of the majority of Catholics who believe in reproductive freedom, issued the following statement from President Jamie L. Manson, M.Div., on today’s ruling from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas halting the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s approval of the safe and popular abortion drug mifepristone, which when taken in combination with misoprostol, accounts for over 60 percent of all abortions in the United States:
“Today’s ruling from Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk — a radical far-right Trump appointee known for his outspoken prejudice against reproductive rights and LGBTQIA+ people — is an unprecedented attack on the fundamental right of women and pregnant people to control their own bodies and make their own healthcare decisions, as well as the FDA’s ability to make medically sound regulatory and approval decisions about prescription drugs like mifepristone. It is especially contemptible, albeit unsurprising, to see this extremist judge teaming up with the Alliance Defending Freedom — a notorious Southern Poverty Law Center-certified hate group — in an attempt to unilaterally eliminate access to the nation’s most frequently-used abortion pill.
“Yanking mifepristone off the shelves, despite the mountain of scientific evidence proving that medication abortion is a safe and effective method of terminating an early pregnancy, would have a devastating impact on access to abortion overall, even in states where abortion remains legal. By going after mifepristone, which is only used for terminating a very early-stage pregnancy and miscarriage management, abortion opponents reveal a chilling truth that anti-choice leaders made clearer than ever at the recent ‘March for Life’: overturning Roe was only the beginning. They’re coming after everything, and they won’t stop until they completely eliminate abortion access for everyone and fully transfer the power of reproductive decision-making from the individual to the state.
“But what makes this latest move by the hard right so outrageous is that the overwhelming majority of Americans, including a clear majority of Catholics, vigorously opposes this dystopian agenda. We urge the Biden administration to swiftly appeal today’s malicious and misguided ruling and implement additional creative and bold solutions to stop this dangerous judicial assault on reproductive rights. And in the meantime, we want to reassure those who need care that medication abortion is still safe, effective, and available.”
Catholics for Choice shapes and advances sexual and reproductive ethics that are based on justice, reflect a commitment to a person’s well-being and respect, and affirm the capacity of all people to make moral decisions about their lives.
