On May 17, the federal court case The Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA went to oral arguments in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans, Louisiana. The plaintiffs and defendants argued before a three-judge panel over the validity of a ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk of the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas granting the plaintiffs’ motion to halt the FDA approval of the drugs mifepristone and misoprostol for use in elective abortions. Attorney Erin Hawley of the law firm Alliance Defending Freedom argued before the court on behalf of the plaintiffs, including AAPLOG. At a press conference directly after oral arguments, Dr. Christina Francis stated,
In my profession, my colleagues and I have seen the effects of the FDA’s reckless approval of mifepristone far too many times. Since its initial approval of mifepristone, the FDA has repeatedly removed the bare-minimum safeguards that it had previously put in place for chemical abortions. Rather than offering more robust protections for patients, the FDA made abortions even more dangerous by allowing abortionists to turn a blind eye, lining their pockets as women undergo the chemical abortion process alone. Chemical abortion drugs account for at least 54% of abortions today, and the number of women and girls suffering from these complications has risen significantly, all because of the FDA’s politically motivated approval and lax regulations of the drug… The FDA cannot undo the damage that has already been done, but we can ensure that future lives are saved—whether it takes the FDA finally putting women over politics or a court order.
-Dr. Christina Francis
This has been the latest of several developments in this fast-moving case. For those struggling to keep up, AAPLOG has recorded two podcast episodes explaining what’s going on. On May 11 and 16, AAPLOG released two episodes featuring host Dr. Christina Francis and guest Erik Baptist, senior counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom. In this two-part conversation, Dr. Francis and Erik discuss AHM v FDA – what it’s about, the history and context behind it, and potential implications for medical professionals and their patients. We are very thankful for Erik’s time in having this conversation and sharing his expertise.
You can listen to both episodes here.
We are also grateful to all our other podcast guests so far. Previous podcast episode topics include what it means to practice life-affirming medicine, abortion pill reversal, pregnancy resource centers, and caring for patients considering abortion. Be sure to check them all out here. If you have any feedback or topic and guest recommendations for us, please be sure to email us. We are always thankful for your input.
