{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-leads-entire-louisiana-republican-delegation-in-protecting-women-babies-from-dangerous-abortion-drugs-upholding-louisiana-values/", "Cassidy Leads Entire Louisiana Republican Delegation in Protecting\u202fWomen & Babies from Dangerous Abortion Drugs, Upholding Louisiana Values", "2026-05-08", "2026", "2026-05", "Republican", "Senate", "LA", "Bill Cassidy", "C001075", "www.cassidy.senate.gov", "cassidy", "https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led the entire Louisiana Republican congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), U.S. Representatives Clay Higgins (R-LA) and Julia Letlow (R-LA), in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court supporting Louisiana\u2019s lawsuit to protect women and their unborn children from dangerous mail-order chemical abortion drugs. The brief argues mifepristone\u2019s in-person dispensing requirement must be reinstated. More than 100 Republican lawmakers, including U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), signed onto Cassidy\u2019s brief.\n\n\u201cI am grateful to my home state of Louisiana for leading the effort to defend women and babies in our state and across the country. Chemical abortion drugs kill innocent children and put mothers\u2019 lives at risk,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy. \u201cSafeguards protecting against coercion, such as the in-person dispensing requirement, must be reinstated immediately. The Fifth Circuit got this right, and I urge the Supreme Court to affirm that decision.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy leading the way against dangerous mail-order chemical abortion drugs, Louisiana\u2019s proving once again that it stands strong for innocent life. I\u2019ll always be proud to support our state\u2019s pro-life values, and I hope and pray that the Fifth Circuit\u2019s ruling\u2014in favor of federalism and the safety of women and girls\u2014prevails at the Supreme Court,\u201d said Senator Kennedy.\n\n\u201cWe filed this brief because the Biden FDA\u2019s approval of chemical abortion drugs plainly puts young women and their unborn children at risk. The state of Louisiana has done heroic work in leading the fight against mail-order, on-demand abortion drugs, and the 5th Circuit was right to block the FDA from continuing this dangerous practice. We urge the Supreme Court to affirm that decision and protect women and babies nationwide,\u201d said Speaker Johnson.\n\n\u201cThere are legitimate concerns about these drugs putting women and girls at significant risk,\u201d said Leader Thune. \u201cI urge the Supreme Court to reinstate the safety guardrails that were in place before the Biden administration while the Department of Health and Human Services reviews these drugs.\u201d\n\nAs a strong pro-life leader, Cassidy has an A+ rating on Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America\u2019s 2025 National Pro-Life Scorecard. As Chairman of the HELP Committee, Cassidy led a hearing in January with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on the dangers of chemical abortion drugs. He is also leading conservative Republicans calling on U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to fulfill their promise to complete a safety review of abortion drugs. Previously, Cassidy led 58 Republican lawmakers in an amicus brief to the district court, arguing that the illegal Biden policy must be overturned.\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re deeply grateful to pro-life champions Senator Bill Cassidy and Representative Chris Smith for leading this amicus brief in support of Louisiana and courageous survivor Rosalie Markezich against the FDA\u2019s reckless mail-order abortion policy,\u201d said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. \u201cThe FDA\u2019s decision to side with the abortion industry and allow dangerous abortion drugs to be shipped nationwide without an in-person doctor\u2019s visit is unacceptable. This policy kills countless unborn children, enables coercion and abuse, and gravely endangers women and girls, while the FDA callously ignores the well-documented harms that states and survivors have warned about for years. We are thankful for the members of Congress fiercely supporting pro-life states like Louisiana and survivors who are seeking justice in court.\u201d\n\n\u201cLouisiana has chosen to protect women and their babies by prohibiting mail-order abortion,\u201d said Erica Inzina, J.D., Policy Director, Louisiana Right to Life. \u201cIt is unconscionable that the FDA would allow abortion drugs to be openly distributed without any safeguards whatsoever. These actions harm women and hinder states like Louisiana from being able to protect its citizens and enforce its laws. The abortion industry\u2019s response to the 5th Circuit\u2019s ruling, including promoting even more unsafe methods of elective abortion, is telling. For the abortion industry, it was never about women\u2019s safety or health. Instead, it has always been about money and promoting abortion at all costs, even when it hurts the women they purport to help. The Supreme Court should uphold the 5th Circuit\u2019s decision to halt the 2023 REMS and reinstate basic health standards. We are grateful for Senator Bill Cassidy and all of our elected officials on the state and federal level who continue to support women\u2019s health and the lives of unborn babies.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m grateful for the Senators and Representatives who have signed this brief in support of Louisiana\u2019s right to protect unborn children and their mothers,\u201d said Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council. \u201cThe rise of mail-order abortion has not only endangered women and unborn children, but also created new avenues for coercion and abuse. The FDA\u2019s policy, which overrides state pro-life protections, undermines both the rule of law and the safety of those it claims to serve. It must be reversed.\u201d\n\nThe brief is also supported by U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Boyd Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Deb Fischer (R-NE), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Jerry Moran (R-KS), Rand Paul, M.D. (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), James Risch (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), Tim Sheehy (R-MT), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), and Todd Young (R-IN).\n\nRead the full brief here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-05-09T06:00:32Z", "2026-05-09T06:02:31Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-leads-entire-louisiana-republican-delegation-in-protecting-women-babies-from-dangerous-abortion-drugs-upholding-louisiana-values/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.143232151865959, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}