The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released a statement on June 18 maintaining the harmful effects of FDA-approved abortion pills after the U.S. Supreme Court Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine decision.

“The Court’s ruling late last week on procedural grounds does not change the fact that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration [FDA] repeatedly and unlawfully cut corners to put chemical abortion pills on the market and then to reduce the safety protocols around them — putting the health of women and girls at risk,” Bishop Michael Burbidge, chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities and bishop of Arlington, Virginia, said.

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled against the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine (AHM) on June 13 after the group sued the FDA in November 2022 for approving the abortion drug mifepristone. The court determined the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate they were injured by the chemical abortion drug.

The AHM opposed the FDA for allowing the drug’s prescription outside of in-person doctor visits and for allowing its dispensation through the mail. The AHM argued the drug causes physical injury to users and conscience injury to doctors who prescribe it.

Mifepristone is the first of two drugs used in chemical abortions within the first 10 weeks of pregnancy to block progesterone, the hormone that supports pregnancy. The drug causes a mother’s uterine lining to separate, preventing the transport of nutrients and oxygen to an unborn child. It is taken with misoprostol, which causes uterine contractions to expel the child from the uterus. The AHM argued the drug leads to complications that can result in emergency abortions.

Dr. Donna Harrison, an OB-GYN and director of research for the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, spoke about the dangers of the pill to the Register last year, noting that the only reliable way to establish gestational age of a pregnancy is by an ultrasound, which must be done in person. In addition, doctors’ visits rule out the potentially life-threatening condition of ectopic pregnancy.

“So this is not a trivial problem, to not have an examination for women. This is a serious problem,” Harrison told the Register.

Ahead of the case’s oral arguments this spring, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., told Catholic News Agency, “Women should be outraged that other women are put in danger like this. This just is not right, and women deserve better than this,” while also referencing “all women and unborn children who have suffered from these drugs.”

“We know it was a procedural ruling, and we did not speak to the ultimate legality of the abortion pill, but it’s still very disappointing because now the abortion pill remains very available,” Bishop Burbidge told Catholic News Agency after the ruling on the sidelines of the USCCB summer meeting in Louisville, Kentucky.

The USCCB’s nationwide initiative Walking With Moms in Need, is an ongoing effort to provide more resources for women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, Bishop Burbidge told CNA.

“We’re going to surround [women in need], hopefully, accompany them, love them, provide for them in every way possible,” he said.

The USCCB was part of an amicus brief with 10 other pro-life organizations, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Catholic Health Care Leadership Alliance, and the Catholic Bar Association.

Together with Archbishop Timothy Broglio, president of the USCCB and shepherd of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, Bishop Burbidge announced a “Nationwide Invitation to Prayer” between March 2024, when the oral arguments began, to the date of the delivery of the decision.

Bishop Burbidge said in the statement, “We will continue to pray, to advocate for the health and safety of women and the preborn, and to lovingly serve mothers in need so that they may feel prepared to welcome their children.”

Register and CNA staff added to this report.