Washington, D.C., Aug. 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In an op-ed published onNational Review Online, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, urge FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn to protect the health of women and children by pulling Mifeprex, a dangerous abortion drug, off the market.

Live Action, a leading pro-life organization with over 4.6 million followers online, recently launched Abortion Pill Kills,a campaign exposing the history of the pill and the abortion industrys plan to expand the drug. Live Actionsinvestigative report, written in consultation with the American Association of Pro-Life OB/GYNS (AAPLOG) highlights the dangers of the abortion pill for children and women, the funders behind the drug, and the push by the abortion industry to lift the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) basic requirements surrounding its distribution. The FDA requirements, known as a risk evaluation mitigation strategy (REMS), require the abortion pill (Mifeprex) to be prescribed and dispensed in a healthcare setting, clinic, or hospital by a qualified medical professional.REMS requires prescribers of the abortion pill to certify that they are capable of dating a pregnancy, diagnosing dangerous ectopic pregnancies, and that they will provide or arrange for surgical intervention in case of failure or complications.

On July 13, 2020, Obama-appointed U.S District Judge Theodore Chuang, blocked the FDA from enforcing the REMS for Mifeprex, suspending the requirement that abortion pill prescribers dispense the pill at an in-person appointment. The ruling comes after the abortion lobby sued the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the FDA over the in-person requirement using COVID-19 concerns to argue that the requirement posed a burden to women. The ruling enables the pill to be mailed or delivered to patients as long as the pandemic continues.

Live Action's online petitionto pull the pill has gained almost 50,000 signatures and a coalition of human rights groups and medical associations sent a letter to FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn here. Signatories include Samaritan's Purse, The American College of Pediatricians, Susan B. Anthony List, National Right to Life, March for Life, and Heritage Action.

Live Action President and Founder, Lila Rose made the following statement:

The abortion pill has ended the lives of at least 3.7 million innocent children in the U.S. alone. This pill was designed to kill children into the tenth week of pregnancy children who have beating hearts, vital organs, developing eyes and hardening bones. The abortion pill will never be safe for children, or for women. Babies have detectable heartbeats about 3 weeks after fertilization. By 10 weeks gestation, the baby is an inch and a quarter long, all vital organs are in place, and teeth begin to harden and connect to the jawbone. The abortion pill and its expansion are being promoted by a network of billionaire philanthropists, foundations, universities, researchers, media figures, and politicians with deep ties to the American eugenics movement. These financial backers of big abortion are using the COVID-19 threat as a ploy to enact their extreme population control agendas, expanding the abortion pill to target the lives of even more vulnerable children and women. If they succeed, the dangerous drug may become available to young girls, abusers, and women in dangerous pregnancy situations who need medical interventions and the industry will profit from the injustice.

The FDA should acknowledge the subversive tactics of the abortion industry and its allies, which are using a national pandemic to instigate abortion expansions that could remain long after the pandemic is over. Most importantly, the FDA should acknowledge that the abortion pill, which kills children and destroys womens wellbeing, has always been a hazard to public health and should never have been approved for sale in the United States.The FDA can and should exercise its authority under 21 CFR 2.5 to ban the abortion pill as an imminent hazard to public health that poses a significant threat of danger to women and preborn children.

More Background:

According to the FDA, as of 2018, even with REMS in place,the abortion pill has killed at least 3.7 million preborn children, caused at least 24 maternal deaths, and has caused at least 4,195 adverse maternal reactionsincluding hemorrhage, excruciating abdominal pain, and severe life-threatening infections. Women who experience these side-effects are likely to seek care at emergency rooms (which are not required to report adverse events to the FDA) rather than the abortion facilities that prescribed the pill. This meansthe true number of adverse events far exceeds 4,000 cases. According to Dr. Ingrid Skop in theJournal of American Physicians and Surgeons, the abortion pill poses afour-times higher risk of complication than surgical abortionin the first trimester.

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Live Action is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to exposing the truth about abortion and affirming the life of every child. Live Action exists to change hearts and minds about abortion through compelling educational media, human interest stories, and investigative reporting that exposes the lies and corruption in the abortion industry. With the largest online following in the pro-life movement, Live Actions videos and content reach millions of people every week.Find out more athttp://www.liveaction.org

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US Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) & Live Action Founder and President Lila Rose Call on FDA to Pull Abortion Pill - GlobeNewswire