Arkansas Congressmen Hill, Westerman, and Attorney General Griffin Join Amicus Briefs Against Dangerous Abortion Drugs

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On Friday Arkansas Congressmen French Hill (R — 02) and Bruce Westerman (R — 04) joined 143 other members of Congress in an amicus brief opposing dangerous abortion drugs before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin also joined a separate amicus brief in the case.

The briefs are part of two lawsuits over the FDA’s decision to approve the abortion drug mifepristone, also known as RU-486, and to eliminate safety protocols and standards for the drug. The two lawsuits have been consolidated into a single case before the U.S. Supreme Court. Family Council joined a separate amicus brief in the case last Friday as well.

Congressman Westerman also recently joined an amicus brief in a different U.S. Supreme Court case opposing the Biden Administration’s efforts to force hospitals and emergency rooms to perform abortions.

Friday’s amicus briefs argue:

  • The FDA has subverted patient safeguards concerning RU-486;
  • Chemical abortion drugs like RU-486 carry significant risks for women and girls;
  • The FDA has endangered patient health and safety;
  • The FDA has permitted mail-order chemical abortion drugs in violation of federal law; and
  • The FDA’s actions push constitutional boundaries.

When the FDA first approved RU-486 in 2000, a woman seeking a drug-induced abortion was required to visit the doctor three times.

By 2016 that number was reduced from three doctor visits to one doctor visit.

In 2021, the FDA removed the in-person visit with a doctor altogether — making it possible to obtain RU-486 through the mail without a medical examination or an ultrasound.

Over the years our state legislators have enacted various laws preventing abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas and requiring abortionists to follow basic health and safety standards for abortion drugs.

The FDA and the Biden Administration have taken steps at the federal level that threaten to undermine good, pro-life laws like these. This U.S. Supreme Court case pushes back against abortion drugs and federal abortion policies.

It is good to see Arkansas’ congressmen and attorney general joining with their colleagues to take a pro-life stand in federal court.

You Can Read The Congressmen’s Amicus Brief Here.

You Can Read The A.G.’s Amicus Brief Here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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Family Council Joins Amicus Brief Opposing Abortion Drugs Before the U.S. Supreme Court

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On Thursday Family Council joined a pro-life amicus brief by Advancing American Freedom and more than 30 other state and national groups before the U.S. Supreme Court.

The brief is part of two lawsuits over the FDA’s decision to approve the abortion drug mifepristone, also known as RU-486, and to eliminate safety protocols and standards for the drug. The two lawsuits have been consolidated into a single case before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Among other things, Thursday’s brief notes:

  • The FDA knew about the significant negative health consequences of mifepristone — or RU-486 — before approving it in 2000.
  • Despite the danger, the FDA has removed safety requirements designed to protect women and weakened the reporting requirements for adverse events caused by RU-486.
  • The FDA also removed safety standards requiring a woman to be assessed in-person by a doctor before receiving RU-486.

When the FDA first approved RU-486 in 2000, a woman seeking a drug-induced abortion was required to visit the doctor three times. In 2016, that number of visits was reduced from three to one. And in 2021, the FDA removed the in-person visit with a doctor altogether — making it possible to obtain RU-486 through the mail without medical exam or sonogram.

Over the years our state legislators have enacted various laws preventing abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas and requiring abortionists to follow basic health and safety standards for abortion drugs. The FDA and the Biden Administration have taken steps at the federal level that threaten to undermine good, pro-life laws like these. This U.S. Supreme Court case pushes back against abortion drugs and federal abortion policies.

Family Council is pleased to join with so many other excellent groups who are willing to take a stand for life before our federal courts.

You Can Read The Amicus Brief Here.

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Amendment Would Open Arkansas to Dangerous, Unrestricted Abortion Drugs

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This article is part of an ongoing series tracking the Arkansas Abortion Amendment of 2024 and examining its possible effects on state law.

A constitutional amendment vying for the 2024 ballot in Arkansas would jeopardize a number of state health and safety restrictions on dangerous abortion drugs.

Arkansans for Limited Government is collecting more than 90,000 petition signatures to place the Arkansas Abortion Amendment on the November ballot.

If passed, the amendment would write abortion into the state constitution — allowing thousands of elective abortions in Arkansas every year — and it would prevent the Arkansas Legislature from restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy.

Writing abortion into the state constitution could pave the way for taxpayer-funded abortions in Arkansas — something voters have opposed in the past.

The amendment also contains sweeping health exceptions for abortion throughout all nine months of pregnancy — even when a viable child could be delivered instead of aborted — and it nullifies all state laws that conflict with the amendment. That jeopardizes basic restrictions like parental consent and informed consent requirements for abortion as well as medical licensing standards for abortionists.

Preventing the Arkansas Legislature from prohibiting or restricting abortion during the first five months of pregnancy likely would nullify Arkansas’ health and safety laws for abortion drugs like the RU-486 regimen.

Chemical abortion drugs carry a number of risks and consequences. That’s part of the reason why state law contains health and safety restrictions for them.

For example:

  • Act 139 and Act 1014 of 2015 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R – Mountain View) and Rep. Julie Mayberry (R – Hensley) prevent abortionists from prescribing abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486 remotely via telemedicine.
  • Act 560 of 2021 by Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R – Springdale) and Sen. Scott Flippo (R – Mountain Home) contains an informed-consent process for chemical abortions. This helps ensure women get all the facts about chemical abortion — including its risks, its consequences, and its alternatives.
  • Act 562 of 2021 by Rep. Sonia Barker (R – Smackover) and Sen. Blake Johnson (R – Corning) updates Arkansas’ restrictions on abortion-inducing drugs like RU-486. Among other things, the law outlines requirements that abortionists must follow in administering abortion-inducing drugs. It also prohibits abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas.

Abortion-inducing drugs are dangerous. Official reports from the Arkansas Department of Health reveal that between 2020 and 2022 at least 1 in 50 women who took abortion drugs in Arkansas experienced complications.

Despite the serious health risk, some pro-abortion groups encourage women to order abortion pills online and have the abortion drugs shipped to them without talking to a doctor. That’s why state laws like Act 562 prohibit abortion drugs from being delivered by mail in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Abortion Amendment threatens to nullify all of these common sense health and safety laws that restrict abortion drugs.

Without these laws, Arkansas could see an inflow of dangerous, unrestricted abortion drugs throughout the state.

You can download a copy of the amendment here.

Articles appearing on this website are written with the aid of Family Council’s researchers and writers.

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