Catholic Medical Association Applauds Court Decision to Halt FDA Approval of Chemical Abortion Drugs

Philadelphia, PA- April 11, 2023- Catholic Medical Association today applauded a decision by a federal judge in Texas to halt FDA approval of chemical abortion drugs.

The lawsuit, filed by Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (of which CMA is a founding member), was argued by attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom in Amarillo, TX.

“The FDA’s approval of these dangerous chemical abortion drugs stands in direct violation of the right to life and inherit dignity each of us has from the moment of conception,” said Craig Treptow, M.D., CMA President.

ADF released a statement on April 7, sharing in part:

“By illegally approving dangerous chemical abortion drugs, the FDA put women and girls in harm’s way, and it’s high time the agency is held accountable for its reckless actions,” said ADF Senior Counsel Erik Baptist, who argued before the court (https://adfmedia.org/press-release/adf-court-protect-women-girls-dangerous-chemical-abortion-drugs) on March 15. “Pregnancy is not an illness, and chemical abortion drugs don’t provide a therapeutic benefit—they can pose serious and life-threatening complications to the mother, in addition to ending a baby’s life. The FDA never had the authority to approve these hazardous drugs or to remove important safeguards. This is a significant victory for the doctors and medical associations we represent and, more importantly, the health and safety of women and girls.”

Dr. Michael Parker, OBGYN, Immediate Past President of CMA and CMA’s board representative at Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, said “These types of drugs not only put our patients’ health in jeopardy, but they directly violate our Hippocratic oath to ‘do no harm,’ by taking the lives of the pre-born child.”