We pray for the end of abortion and for the protection of women and preborn children:  Abortion is always a tragedy that takes the life of an innocent child and significantly wounds the mother. For decades, surgical procedures accounted for most abortions, but today chemical abortion is the most common form in the United States. Chemical abortion is a process that generally involves a pregnant woman taking a sequence of pills early in pregnancy to kill and expel a developing child from her womb. Sadly, this form of abortion not only takes the life of a child but also poses significant risks to the health and safety of women.

Despite these serious risks, chemical abortion has widespread accessibility. Since 2016, the FDA has shown continued disregard for women’s health by loosening safety standards, extending the limits of when the drugs can be used, and decreasing the number of required doctor’s visits. Most recently, the FDA has allowed abortion pills to be prescribed through virtual appointments, made available at neighborhood pharmacies, and ordered online, enabling a nationwide mail-order abortion industry. These policies leave women vulnerable to suffering an abortion at home, alone, without any medical supervision. In addition to putting a woman’s health at risk, the actions taken by the FDA also increase the chances that women may be exploited by violent partners and human traffickers.

In June 2024, the Supreme Court threw out a case that had the potential to restore limitations to chemical abortion. It did not rule on the underlying questions, however, and only determined that the pro-life health care professionals who brought the lawsuit did not have the legally required standing to challenge the FDA’s actions. While this initial case was unsuccessful, we pray that new action will be taken to protect women and preborn children from the dangers of the abortion pill.