NASHVILLE (BP) — The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved another generic abortion drug, to much protest from pro-life advocates.

Produced by Evita Solutions, the drug named ANDA received approval on Sept. 30 as a generic to Mifeprex, which was approved in 2000.

The drugs are designed to end pregnancies through ten weeks’ gestation, preventing the baby from being able to attach to the uterine wall while preparing the uterus for contractions that typically come about by combining another pill, misoprostol, that induces strong cramps. Mifepristone, the first generic of Mifeprex, received FDA approval in 2019.

Mere days into his new position, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) Interim President Gary Hollingsworth said the act “should weigh heavy on the hearts of Southern Baptists, who boldly and bravely speak the truth of God as the creator and giver of life.

“We affirm that life is a sacred gift, not a commodity to be regulated or discarded,” Hollingsworth added. “In response, the ERLC is sending a letter to (Health and Human Services) and the FDA, urging them to take action with the ultimate goal of removing this dangerous, life-taking drug from the market for good.”

A report issued in the spring by a watchdog group called attention to the rate of “serious adverse reactions” to mifepristone, namely that it can be as high as 22 times more than that claimed by the drug’s maker. The Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) said it found that 10.93% of women who used mifepristone experienced sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging and similar effects within 45 days, as opposed to the less-than-.5% previously reported.  

At the June annual meeting in Dallas, Southern Baptists issued a stand against “the moral evils and medical dangers” of abortifacients.

“As we made clear in (that) resolution … Southern Baptists want this dangerous drug taken off the market altogether,” said Miles Mullin, ERLC chief of staff. “Unfortunately, this decision by the FDA moves in the other direction, expanding its availability and fanning the flames of the culture of death that still persists in our country over three years since the Dobbs decision.

“The FDA needs to reverse this decision. Otherwise, all the good work done to overturn Roe will come to naught as more and more women are harmed and more and more babies die.”

ERLC Senior Policy Manager Katy Roberts urged the FDA to fulfill its “explicit, self-reported responsibility to promote and protect our health.”

“Their decision to approve generic mifepristone completely circumvents this responsibility. The chemical abortion pill is in no way ‘safe’ or ‘effective’ — for women or for the preborn. Taking this pill results in abnormally high rates of adverse physical events for women, leaves a lasting mental, emotional and spiritual toll and robs innocent children of the right to life. Approving this drug is a grave misstep by the FDA.”

Yesterday, Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy (RFK) Jr. commented on X that federal law requires FDA approval “when an application proves the generic is identical to the brand-name drug.”

He pledged to “review all the evidence – including real-world outcomes – on the safety of this drug.” Kennedy added that recent studies have indicated “serious risks when mifepristone is used without proper medical oversight.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence called the approval “a complete betrayal of the pro-life movement that elected President Trump.

“Earlier this year, I opposed RFK’s nomination because he was unfit for the role and particularly over the concern that he would expand access to abortion, as he has done today,” added Pence, who called on Trump to “immediately reverse this decision.”

The Guttmacher Institute reported in 2023 that chemical abortion accounted for 63% of all U.S. abortions.

“Let us continue to pray,” Hollingsworth said, “for our leaders, for our nation, for mothers and fathers facing unexpected pregnancies, and for a renewed culture of life that cherishes every person as made in the image of God.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Scott Barkley is chief national correspondent for Baptist Press.)