Family Council Joins Brief Asking SCOTUS to Block Mail-Order Abortion Drugs

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Last week, Family Council joined 49 other pro-life organizations in a legal brief challenging mail-order abortion drugs before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Arkansas law generally prohibits abortion except to save the life of the mother, and it is a crime for an abortionist to mail abortion drugs like RU-486 into the state.

But under President Biden, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration loosened its safety protocols to allow mail-order abortion drugs. Pro-abortion states have also enacted “shield laws” for abortionists who mail abortion drugs into states like Arkansas.

All of that has created a dangerous industry of abortion-by-mail in Arkansas and across the nation.

The State of Louisiana has filed a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s mail-order abortion rules, and on May 1 a three-judge panel from the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the FDA’s protocols.

But almost immediately, two abortion drug manufacturers appealed that decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. As a result, the Court issued an administrative stay letting mail-order abortion drugs resume at least until 5:00 P.M. on Monday, May 11.

Our friends at Advancing American Freedom worked very quickly to draft and file an amicus brief against the drugs, and Family Council was able to join that brief at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The amicus brief argues that states have the authority to restrict or prohibit abortion, and that the FDA is undermining pro-life laws in states like Arkansas.

New evidence shows that abortion drugs are much more dangerous than the FDA previously thought.

A recent study by the experts at the Ethics and Public Policy Center found abortion drugs are at least 22 times more dangerous than the drugs’ labeling indicates. Nearly 11% of women experience serious health complications from abortion pills — including sepsis, infection, and life-threatening hemorrhage.

Abortion drugs hurt women and kill unborn children. These drugs should not be available at all — much less through the mail. We believe our federal courts ultimately will recognize that fact and make it possible for states like Arkansas to enforce their laws against mail-order abortion.

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

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Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Challenging Arkansas’ Pro-Life Laws

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A Pulaski County Circuit Judge has dismissed a lawsuit seeking to undo Arkansas’ pro-life laws.

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, making it possible for states to set their own abortion policies. Since then Arkansas law has prohibited abortion except to save the life of the mother. Last year the state legislature took excellent steps to strengthen and clarify Arkansas’ pro-life laws.

But in January, attorneys with a pro-abortion group filed a lawsuit in Pulaski County to strike down Arkansas’ good, pro-life laws.

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin told media outlets at the time that the lawsuit on its face appeared to have little legal merit, and Family Council agreed with the attorney general.

On April 29, the judge presiding over the case dismissed the pro-abortion lawsuit and closed the case.

This is good news. Arkansas has been named the most pro-life state in America for the past six years, and lawmakers have enacted excellent legislation protecting women and unborn children from abortion and supporting women with unplanned pregnancies. This lawsuit would have undone all of that good work.

Public opinion polling has shown time and again that most Arkansans are pro-life and oppose abortion on demand.

Arkansas’ pro-life laws reflect Arkansans’ pro-life views. These laws protect everyone’s right to life — including the unborn child’s.

We appreciate Attorney General Griffin’s office working so hard to defend the sanctity of human life and defeat this pro-abortion lawsuit in Arkansas.

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

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Mid Vermont Christian School Back in Court

Religious Freedom,
Mid Vermont Christian School basketball players outside of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York City on April 9, 2025.

Attorneys representing a Christian school in Vermont were back in court on Friday after state officials refused to include the school in state programs.

The Mid Vermont Christian School (MVCS) believes that human beings are created either male or female. In 2023, the MVCS girls’ basketball team decided to forfeit a game rather than violate its religious convictions by forcing its girls to play against a team with a male player.

But the Vermont Principals Association decided to punish the school for forfeiting the game by kicking it out of the sports league. That led to a major court battle — and a $566,000 settlement for damages and attorneys’ fees to Mid Vermont Christian School.

While the principals association has settled the suit, our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom say state officials have continued to exclude all religious schools — including MVCS — and their students from participating in the state’s tuition program and other public benefit programs.

On Friday, the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont heard the case.

In a statement, Alliance Defending Freedom Legal Counsel Jake Reed said,

“Religious schools and the families they serve aren’t second-class citizens. Yet Vermont continues to treat them as such by excluding them from a public benefit available to other secular schools. All parents should be able to send their kids to schools that are the best fit for them, and the First Amendment protects parents’ right to choose religious schools.”

We appreciate our friends at Alliance Defending Freedom standing for religious liberty in court.

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

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