{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-pfluger-colleagues-file-supreme-court-brief-in-ongoing-challenge-to-fda-chemical-abortion-actions", "Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Pfluger, Colleagues File Supreme Court Brief in Ongoing Challenge to FDA Chemical Abortion Actions", "2023-11-15", "2023", "2023-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MS", "Roger F. Wicker", "W000437", "www.wicker.senate.gov", "wicker", "https://www.wicker.senate.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., joined Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and U.S. Representative August Pfluger, R-Texas, in filing an amicus brief in support of the U.S. Supreme Court considering initial \u201capproval irregularities\u201d by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in its 2000 approval of chemical abortion drugs.\n\nSeventeen U.S. Senators and 92 members of the House of Representatives signed the amicus brief, including U.S. Representatives Trent Kelly, R-Miss., Michael Guest, R-Miss., and Mike Ezell, R-Miss.\n\nAmericans United for Life authored the brief in support of the Conditional Cross Petition filed by Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine. The cross petition asks the Supreme Court to consider the FDA\u2019s 2000 drug approval should the court decide to hear challenges to a Fifth Circuit Court stay of the FDA\u2019s 2016 and 2021 actions to broaden access to chemical abortion drugs.\n\n\u201cAs pro-life elected representatives, Amici are committed to protecting women and girls from the harms of the abortion industry. By approving and then deregulating chemical abortion drugs, the FDA failed to follow Congress\u2019 statutorily prescribed drug approval process and subverted Congress\u2019 critical public policy interests in upholding patient welfare,\u201d the brief stated.\n\n\u201cAmici support the Fifth Circuit\u2019s reinstatement of common-sense patient safeguards, which include in-person dispensing of mifepristone as well as an in-person follow-up examination to ensure a woman has not suffered complications or retained fetal tissue. Accordingly, Amici support Cross-Petitioners\u2019 opposition to the FDA and Danco\u2019s petitions for a writ of certiorari, which have asked this Court to reconsider patient safeguards that protect women and girls seeking chemical abortion drugs,\u201d the brief continued.\n\nThe lawmakers\u2019 brief makes these arguments:\n\nThe FDA exceeded its Subpart H authority by approving mifepristone.\n\nThe FDA misclassified pregnancy as a \u201clife-threatening illness.\u201d\n\nChemical abortions do not provide a \u201cmeaningful therapeutic benefit\u201d over surgical abortions.\n\nThe FDA\u2019s approval of mifepristone subverted patient health and safety safeguards within federal laws.\n\nThe FDA\u2019s failure to adhere to the FDCA\u2019s drug approval process has created grave health and safety risks to women and girls.\n\nThe FDA endangers pregnant adolescents seeking chemical abortion drugs by subverting the pediatric study requirement.\n\nOrganizations supporting the amicus brief include Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, March for Life, Students for Life of America, National Right to Life, Live Action, Catholic Vote.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T01:01:09Z"]], "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.wicker.senate.gov/2023/11/wicker-hyde-smith-pfluger-colleagues-file-supreme-court-brief-in-ongoing-challenge-to-fda-chemical-abortion-actions"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.0297588780522346, "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"}