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

Abortion, , ,

Earlier this month, Family Council joined a coalition of 57 pro-life organizations in an amicus brief asking a federal court to block mail-order abortion drugs in America.

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 that legal challenge is currently before the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 18, Family Council joined an amicus brief arguing the court should block abortion drugs from being delivered by mail.

The amicus brief argues that states have the authority to restrict or prohibit abortion, and that the FDA’s abortion drug rules run afoul of state and federal laws.

New evidence shows that abortion drugs are much more harmful 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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NY, IL Assisted Suicide Laws Face Federal Lawsuits

Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , ,

Disability-rights groups are suing to strike down assisted suicide measures in Illinois and New York.

Currently, more than a dozen states have legalized physician assisted suicide. Last December, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker signed laws making it possible for patients to request prescriptions for lethal drugs via so-called “Medical Aid in Dying.” But now those laws are facing legal challenges in federal court.

On June 11, the Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled filed a lawsuit arguing New York’s Medical Aid in Dying Act unlawfully discriminates against disabled people and weakens suicide-prevention protections.

That same day, a coalition of disability-rights groups sued against the Illinois End of Life Options Act, alleging the law discriminates against disabled patients, undermines due process, and weakens longstanding suicide-prevention protections.

Once doctors and policymakers decide some lives are not worth living, it’s practically impossible to choose where to draw the line on assisted suicide.

A physician in Quebec recently made headlines for actually suggesting the Canadian Medical Aid in Dying program be broadened to include babies. Next year, Canada could expand assisted suicide to include people suffering solely from mental health conditions like anxiety or depression.

In the U.S., peer-reviewed research has found people with eating disorders have been wrongly approved for assisted suicide — even in states where assisted suicide is supposed to be limited to patients with terminal illnesses.

Assisted suicide fundamentally changes the doctor-patient relationship from healing to killing, and in some countries, it’s driving palliative care specialists to leave the medical profession. That hurts everyone.

Being pro-life means believing human life is sacred from conception until natural death. Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are murder, and they violate the sanctity of human life. Pro-lifers must stand strong against them.

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

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Poll: Most Americans Say Suicide Is Wrong — But Many Support Physician-Assisted Suicide Anyway

Bioethics, Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, , , , ,

A new Gallup poll shows most Americans believe suicide in general is morally wrong, but opinions are split over physician-assisted suicide.

Gallup’s annual Values and Beliefs survey measures Americans’ views on a wide variety of behaviors — like gambling, human cloning, divorce, and so on.

This year’s survey found 70% of Americans say suicide is morally wrong, which is a strong majority.

But here’s the contradiction: views on “doctor-assisted suicide” are nearly evenly split, with a staggering 49% of Americans saying physician-assisted suicide is morally acceptable.

It seems like many people may believe that suicide is wrong — except in certain cases or when a doctor assists with the suicide. That should concern every pro-life Arkansan.

Physician-assisted suicide is typically sold to the public as a “compassionate” option for people facing terminal illness. But experience has shown that assisted suicide doesn’t help people who are sick or dying, and it doesn’t remain limited to a few cases.

In Oregon — the first state to legalize physician-assisted suicide back in 1997 — a record 637 lethal prescriptions were written last year. Of those patients, only two were referred for psychiatric evaluation before receiving a prescription for suicide. That is a serious failure.

Data shows many of these patients are lonely and feel like they are losing control over their lives. They need counseling and support — not a deadly prescription.

Assisted suicide fundamentally changes the doctor-patient relationship from healing to killing. The Hippocratic Oath promises to “first, do no harm.” Prescribing lethal drugs violates that sacred trust.

The slippery slope is real. In Canada, Belgium, and Netherlands, assisted suicide has expanded far beyond rare, terminal illnesses. Canada is on pace to record its 100,000th assisted suicide death this summer. What starts as a “compassionate choice” eventually becomes routine killing.

In parts of the U.S. where physician-assisted suicide is legal, insurance companies have refused to pay for patients’ medical care, but have offered to cover assisted suicide drugs.

Being pro-life means believing innocent human life is sacred from conception until natural death. Just like abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide violate the sanctity of innocent human life.

That’s why Family Council has strongly opposed assisted suicide legislation in Arkansas. In 2019 and 2021, Arkansas lawmakers wisely rejected very bad end-of-life legislation. Family Council worked closely with our friends in the legislature to stop those proposals.

Gallup’s survey shows Americans understand that suicide is wrong. We should remember that holds true even when activists try to dress it up as “medicine.”

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

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