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What’s The Big Deal About The Amarillo Hearing On The Abortion Pill?
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March 28, 2023The simple answer is that the abortion pill kills a baby and that stirs up the emotions of many people in our nation on both sides of the issue. As Catholics we must protect the most innocent life, which is the baby in the womb, so we are very concerned about the abortion pill.
On March 15, there was a hearing in Amarillo Federal Court about the abortion pill mifepristone (mi fe’ pri stone). This pill kills the baby in the womb, followed by the next pill misoprostol (mai sow praa stowl) which causes contractions which pushes the dead baby out of the uterus. This is heavy stuff. Ninety-eight percent of chemical abortions use mifepristone and misoprostol. In the U.S. in 2020, 53% of abortions were chemical abortions. Mifepristone can be used until a baby is 10 weeks old. At 10 weeks the baby looks like a baby. She has a head, arms, legs, most of her organs are working and fingerprints are developing. The baby is two inches long and weighs approximately .8 oz. She yawns, sucks, hiccups and moves her arms and legs.
The hearing was due to the Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) lawsuit against the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) on behalf of the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, the Catholic Medical Association and others. ADF sued the FDA to try to stop the use of mifepristone for abortions. The ADF Lawyers argued that the FDA fast-tracked the drug back in 2000, which possibly was politically motivated. They also argued that the drug has major side effects such as hemorrhaging, prolonged bleeding and sepsis. The ADF lawyers pointed out that approval testing had not been done on young girls. They also argued that the drug could cause life threatening issues if women have an ectopic pregnancy. That is why doctor supervision is very important. They also argued that mailing these drugs violates the Comstock Act which prohibits the mailing of any drug that produces an abortion. The FDA relaxed a number of the protocols that were in place to protect a woman’s health including sonagrams which determine the gestation age of the baby.
The FDA lawyers argued that the drug has been used for 22 years without serious issues. They argued that the drug was approved using correct fast-track procedures. They also stated that the FDA required the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) to support the safe use of the drug. The lawyers stated that a ruling not in their favor would be against public interest and would affect the entire nation. Lawyers also argued that the drug was needed in the case of rape and incest, stating that an adverse ruling might impact future approval of drugs. The lawyers argued that the Comstock Act did not cover mifepristone. The FDA lawyers took great care not to use the word “baby.”
Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s ruling is expected very soon. Please pray that his ruling protects innocent babies.
James Schulte is the Family Life Director for the Diocese of Amarillo.
