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U.S. Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas-11) and U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) have filed an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Supreme Court considering initial "approval irregularities" by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its 2000 approval of chemical abortion drugs. The brief, authored by Americans United for Life (AUL), was signed by 92 members of the House of Representatives and 17 U.S. Senators.

The amicus brief supports the Conditional Cross Petition filed by Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which asks the Supreme Court to consider the FDA's 2000 drug approval should the court decide to hear challenges to a Fifth Circuit Court stay of the FDA's 2016 and 2021 actions to broaden access to chemical abortion drugs.

In the brief, the lawmakers argue that the FDA exceeded its Subpart H authority by approving mifepristone, a drug used in chemical abortions. They claim that the FDA misclassified pregnancy as a "life-threatening illness" and that chemical abortions do not provide a "meaningful therapeutic benefit" over surgical abortions.

Furthermore, the brief argues that the FDA's approval of mifepristone subverted patient health and safety safeguards within federal laws. The FDA's failure to adhere to the FDCA's drug approval process has allegedly created grave health and safety risks to women and girls. Additionally, the FDA endangers pregnant adolescents seeking chemical abortion drugs by subverting the pediatric study requirement.

The amicus brief also emphasizes the lawmakers' commitment to protecting women and girls from the harms of the abortion industry. It states, "By approving and then deregulating chemical abortion drugs, the FDA failed to follow Congress' statutorily prescribed drug approval process and subverted Congress' critical public policy interests in upholding patient welfare."

The brief highlights the importance of common-sense patient safeguards, including in-person dispensing of mifepristone and an in-person follow-up examination to ensure a woman's well-being and to identify any complications or retained fetal tissue. The lawmakers express their support for the Fifth Circuit's reinstatement of these safeguards.

The amicus brief was signed by several other U.S. Senators, including Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), and Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-Kan.), among others. Numerous U.S. Representatives also signed the brief, including Robert Aderholt (Ala.-04), Mark Alford (Mo.-04), and Rick Allen (Ga.-12), among many others.

The amicus brief is supported by organizations such as Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, March for Life, Students for Life of America, National Right to Life, Live Action, and Catholic Vote.

This filing of the amicus brief represents the continued efforts of pro-life advocates to challenge the FDA's approval of chemical abortion drugs and to ensure the protection of women and girls seeking such procedures. The amicus brief urges the Supreme Court to carefully consider the FDA's actions and the potential risks they pose to the well-being of patients.

For additional details, please follow this link: https://pfluger.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=948