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The US Supreme Court is to hear a case relating to access to the most commonly used abortion pill, mifepristone. The case is being brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative Christian-affiliated legal group with connections in Congress and the Supreme Court, which alleges that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) changes allowing the pill to be shipped by mail were “arbitrary and capricious”. Critics argue that ADF’s motivations are primarily religious, and not based on women’s health, and that numerous studies have shown mifepristone to be safe.
U.S. Supreme Court Takes On Abortion Pill Case
The legal advocacy group, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to limit access to a widely-used abortion pill.
ADF, a conservative Christian-affiliated organization, has been successful in influencing the Supreme Court’s stance on contentious issues, including the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
ADF’s Motives: Women’s Health or Religion?
ADF describes itself as an alliance of over 3,700 attorneys, dedicated to defending religious liberty, marriage, family, and sanctity of life. They argue that the FDA has compromised women’s health by removing safeguards from abortion drug regimens. However, the organization’s primary concern appears to be religiously driven rather than health-focused.
Evidence of Abortion Pill Safety
The focus is on mifepristone, part of a two-drug regimen used extensively in U.S. pregnancy terminations and miscarriage treatments. A CNN investigation reported mifepristone to be safer than drugs like Viagra and penicillin. Additionally, a New York Times review of 100 scientific studies concluded the medication is safe.
ADF’s Aim to Diminish Church-State Separation
The ADF has been described by writer David Kirkpatrick as a group determined to challenge abortion rights and church-state separation. Quotes from ADF senior counsel Jeffrey Ventrella suggest a perspective favoring Christian supremacy in legal and academic spheres.
ADF’s Influence in Government and Courts
ADF has connections in the U.S. Congress and Supreme Court. The new Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, spent over a decade working for ADF and has expressed strong opposition to same-sex marriage. Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Samuel Alito have both been associated with ADF’s training program for law students.
ADF’s approach suggests a potential disregard for the separation of church and state in favor of Christian dominance.
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