CHICAGO – Illinois Right to Life applauds Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling affirming the Trump Administration can enforce a Federal Drug Administration rule requiring women to pick up mifepristone, a chemical abortion drug, in person at approved health care facilities.
The American Civil Liberties Union had challenged the rule, claiming that the ability to receive the chemical abortion drugs through the mail was necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
US Supreme Court's Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority in the 6-3 ruling, stating that the matter in question was not whether the rule placed an undue burden on women seeking abortions, but rather, “[W]hether the District Court properly ordered the Food and Drug Administration to lift those established requirements because of the court’s own evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Illinois Right to Life Executive Director, Amy Gehrke, responded to the Supreme Court decision, saying, “This is a commonsense ruling that will not only protect women, but their unborn children, as well. Mifepristone, used in chemical abortions, is unlike any other drug in that its sole purpose is to take the life of a tiny human. In addition, a significant number of women experience life-threatening side effects after taking the drug.”
According to the National Abortion Federation, the majority of women who take mifepristone will abort within four hours of using misoprostol. Because of this, most women choose to take the misoprostol dose in the comfort of their own home due to painful side effects such as cramping and excessive bleeding that can also occur within the first few hours. Nausea, vomiting, and fever are among the other side effects women may experience, according to NAF.
