I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. —John 8:12

Dear Friends,

There is much joy and hope following the overturning of Roe. But the news with which we are deluged daily evidences much darkness surrounding us and the light of Christ is needed more than ever. The intense determination by abortion proponents to ensure access to kill innocent life in the womb, even up until or after birth, is incomprehensible evil.

The life news in a post-Roe world is constantly changing. Council for Life is committed to providing you with summary updates on national, state and local life news. This update is Part I of a two-part report on recent legal and legislative happenings. Part I covers national life news.

NATIONAL NEWS

U.S. District Court Judge Could Strike Down the FDA’s Approval of Chemical Abortion Pills

Full national attention is on a pivotal case in Amarillo before U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk in the Northern District of Texas. The case is the biggest abortion related case since the Dobbs decision last year and could reverse the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Mifepristone. Mifepristone is the chemical abortion pill approved by the FDA in 2000 under the Clinton Administration to terminate the life of an unborn baby through seven weeks gestation. The FDA extended the gestation period to ten weeks in 2016 under the Obama Administration.

Since the FDA approval in 2000, the use of chemical abortion pills has surged. Chemical abortions, also called medication abortions, are now the most common method of abortion and can cause many dangerous complications.

Judge Kacsmaryk, a President Trump appointee, could either strike down the FDA’s approval, creating a nationwide ban on the drugs, or rescind the Biden Administration’s removal of the common sense standard of care requirement of an in-person physical examination to confirm the stage of the pregnancy prior to prescribing the drugs. In 2021, the FDA made the pills available via telemedicine, mail delivery and pharmacy pickup, putting women in danger rather than safeguarding their health.

Immediately after the FDA approved the use of chemical abortion pills, a coalition of pro-life ob-gyn doctors persevered through 20 years of administrative hearings to be able to bring their current lawsuit. The doctors, represented by Alliance Defending Freedom, filed the lawsuit last November asserting the FDA did not adequately study the dangerous safety risks of the drug and, therefore, the drug should be outlawedand pulled from the market nationwide.

Pro-abortion doctors and advocates are encouraging women to pre-order and stockpile abortion pills. In the event Judge Kacsmaryk rules against the government, the Biden Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice would likely appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and then potentially to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Abortion proponents and Democrat lawmakers have urged U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra and President Biden to declare abortion access a “public health emergency.” An emergency declaration would provide funding for people who want to travel out-of-state to get abortions or access chemical abortion pills.

Canadian Teen Dies of Septic Shock
After Taking Abortion Pill

As CVS, Walgreens and other pharmacies prepare to distribute chemical abortion pills in the U.S., another woman, a Canadian teen, has died after taking the pills. The Canadian teenager died tragically of septic shock which is a complication of chemical abortions.

The FDA approved abortion pills for the U.S. market in 2000. But the Canadian government did not approve the pills until 15 years later because another Canadian woman died of septic shock during the clinical trial.

Joe Biden Celebrates Abortion in State of the Union Address & Democrats Wear Abortion Pins from Planned Parenthood

In the State of the Union, President Biden affirmed his extreme pro-abortion position: “Congress must restore the right that was taken away in Roe v. Wade. Give every woman the constitutional right. The Vice President and I are doing everything to protect access to reproductive healthcare and safeguard patient safety. But already, more than a dozen states are enforcing extreme abortion bans. Make no mistake: If Congress passes a national abortion ban, I will veto it.”

Democrat lawmakers wore golden lapel “ABORTION” pins with a heart inside an Oto proudly display their support for abortion during President Biden’s State of the Union address. 

U.S. Senator Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) and U.S. Representative Madeleine Dean (D-Pennsylvania) both posted photos of themselves on social media wearing the pins before the speech.

Dean stated on Twitter “I say the word, I wear the word. Abortion care is health care. Abortion care saves lives.” Markey said the pins were a gift from Planned Parenthood. The abortion chain spends millions of dollars to elect pro-abortion lawmakers, reports more than one-billion dollars in revenue and aborts over 383,000 unborn babies annually.

Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act Passed by U.S. House of Representatives in January Introduced in U.S. Senate

On February 1, U.S. Senators John Thune (R-South Dakota) and James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. The legislation protects babies who survive an attempted abortion to ensure they receive the same level of care as any other newborn. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on January 11 with a vote of 220 to 210. All but two Democrat Representatives voted against the Act. Only Texas Democrat Representative Henry Cuellar voted with the Republicans in favor of the Act.

The Act states: “Any health care practitioner present at the time the child is born alive shall (A) exercise the same degree of professional skill, care, and diligence to preserve the life and health of the child as a reasonably diligent and conscientious health care practitioner would render to any other child born alive at the same gestational age; and (B) following the exercise of skill, care, and diligence required under subparagraph (A), ensure that the child born alive is immediately transported and admitted to a hospital.”

PLEASE PRAY

PLEASE PRAY for the countless women and men facing an unplanned pregnancy and for our leaders and all citizens to recognize the humanity of every unborn baby.

Thank you for sharing in our mission to honor the inherent worth and dignity of every human life.

Council for Life