Policy / Oppose the Proliferation of Chemical Abortions

Oppose the Proliferation of Chemical Abortions

Southern Baptists affirm that every human is created in the image of God. As stated in a 2022 resolution of the Southern Baptist Convention, the Bible clearly and unequivocally affirms “the preborn child is a person, bearing the image of God, from the moment of conception” (Gen. 1:27; 9:6), regardless of age, level of ability, or stage of development. This is a truth to which Christians in every century have testified and are called to bear witness in every age and in every sphere of life. Additionally, the Convention’s Baptist Faith & Message affirms that “children, from the moment of conception, are a blessing and heritage from the Lord” and calls us to “speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death.”

Chemical abortion is a type of abortion that uses an abortifacient to stimulate uterine contractions and end the life of a preborn child. These drugs both take the life of a preborn child and also pose serious health risks and harm to the women who take them. In 2020, chemical abortions surpassed surgical abortions for the first time, making up 53% of the national total. Following the Dobbs decision, many states have expanded access to abortion drugs like mifepristone in an effort to provide abortion access across state lines, despite pro-life protections in place.

The federal government bears responsibility in the fight to eliminate even the perceived need for abortion. Through federal funding, the approval of various chemical drugs like mifepristone through the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and implementing conscience protections, the federal government has the ability to cultivate a culture that either promotes life or death.

The ERLC has asked the FDA to categorize the abortion pill mifepristone as an “imminent hazard to the public health. Post-Dobbs, the FDA has allowed local retail pharmacies to continue to dispense abortion drugs, furthering the accessibility of these life-taking drugs and placing more vulnerable people at risk. In 2024, the Supreme Court will hear the argument for and make a final ruling on whether or not the FDA can allow the prescription of such drugs through telemedicine appointments, creating opportunities for mail-order abortion.

ERLC urges Congress to oppose the proliferation of chemical abortions and pass legislation such as the SAVE Moms and Babies Act, which would prohibit the FDA from approving additional chemical abortion drugs and impose previously existing prohibitions on how such drugs may be prescribed.