38 local governments and 53 local political leaders across the U.S. have petitioned the Supreme Court to keep the abortion pill mifepristone on the market in a high-profile case.
A Pro-Life lawsuit sparked a media firestorm last April when a judge rescinded FDA approval of an abortion pill, citing the FDA’s negligence in approving the drug. The U.S. Supreme Court later scaled back the Pro-Life ruling, allowing chemical abortions to continue as-is in states without strong laws protecting preborn babies as the case moves forward. A lower court held a hearing in May, imposing certain restrictions on this abortion pill, and now the ball is once again in the Supreme Court.
A group of local governments filed an amicus brief on Thursday, urging the Supreme Court to take the case to defend the “right” to abortion.
The brief claims to “highlight the shared interest and responsibility of local governments in protecting the health and safety of our diverse populations.” If these governments wish to protect the health of women, their defense of mifepristone is accomplishing the opposite.
The brief sings the FDA’s praises, defending the so-called “robust scientific evidence” the FDA used to initially approve mifepristone. Their misleading claims disregard the facts, which paint a very different picture.
Every abortion ends the life of the innocent preborn child, but chemical abortion is additionally dangerous for the pregnant mother. Studies show that 1 in 5 women experience an adverse event following a chemical abortion, the rate of complications for chemical abortions are four times higher than surgical abortions, and they require follow-up surgical abortion in 3-8% of cases. Chemical abortions take much longer and involve more bleeding and pain, and complications increase exponentially with the baby’s increasing gestational age.
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While these local governments argue that limiting the use of mifepristone “will cause immeasurable harm to pregnant people nationwide,” Pro-Life leaders recognize that it would instead protect the tiny lives those pregnant women are carrying.
The number of 38 counties and cities who signed onto the brief is small change compared to the over 90,000 local governments we have across the U.S. This attempt has not intimidated the Pro-Life movement. On the contrary, it shows Pro-Life Texans where we need to concentrate our own efforts.
Below is a list of the local governments and leaders in Texas that joined the amicus brief:
- The City of Austin
- Brian Beck – Councilor & Mayor Pro Tem, City of Denton
- Andy Brown – Travis County Judge
- Vanessa Fuentes – Councilwoman, City of Austin
- Delia Garza – County Attorney, Travis County
- Clay Lewis Jenkins – Dallas County Judge
- Christian Menefee – County Attorney, Harris County
READ MORE: City Dedicates Half a Million Dollars to Abortion Groups, Texas Right to Life Sues
Abortion is illegal in Texas and in several other states, yet pro-abortion leaders are determined to undercut those victories. They have not stopped fighting, but neither have we. However small the number, local leaders across the nation are speaking out in defiance of laws that now protect the innocent preborn, and we must respond with equal boldness. We encourage you to take a stand and call out your local city and county leaders who are trying to undermine hard-won Pro-Life laws.
A binding decision from the U.S. Supreme Court would determine the outcome of mifepristone access in our country. While the injustice of abortion has been outlawed in Texas, many Texas women are traveling to obtain abortions out of state or ordering illegal abortion pills online. Thankfully, this federal case will not directly affect our state’s strong Pro-Life laws, but it is still of monumental importance to the lives of preborn children.
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