(Washington, D.C.): Last week, Americans United for Life (AUL) signed on to the amicus brief led by Advancing American Freedom in Louisiana v. FDA, which continues to be litigated following the Supreme Court’s decision to reverse the Fifth Circuit’s stay on mail-order abortion regulations last month.
Our joint briefing argues that states, including Louisiana, have the authority to regulate abortion, as this authority is neither delegated to the federal government nor denied to the states. We further argue that mail-order distribution of abortifacient drugs is in direct conflict with the Comstock Act, even in face of the Biden-era Office of Legal Counsel’s flawed and deeply politicized guidance that maligned federal responsibility to enforce the law’s mail-order prohibitions.
John Mize, CEO of Americans United for Life, remarked, “Overturning Roe v. Wade made it clear that the authority and responsibility to regulate abortion returned to the American people and their elected representatives. In the absence of strict federal protections and refusal to enforce the Comstock Act in full, Louisiana has every authority to enforce its own laws and defend against the attacks of pro-abortion states who wish to push their own extreme agendas on the women and children of Louisiana. Americans United for Life stands firmly behind Louisiana’s effort to protect its citizens from dangerous mail-order abortion.”
Carolyn McDonnell, Litigation Counsel for AUL, stated, “The FDA’s removal of mifepristone’s in-person dispensing requirement was arbitrary and capricious under federal law. By circumventing federal drug law, which Congress established for patient safety, the FDA increased mifepristone’s risks and enabled abusers to easily obtain the drugs for coerced abortions. The FDA must restore in-person dispensing to support patient health and safety.”
Read the full amicus brief here.
For more information or to arrange an interview with AUL, contact Gavin Oxley at [email protected] or 202-987-3321.
Since 1971, Americans United for Life (AUL) has advanced the human right to life in culture, law, and policy by equipping advocates and lawmakers with the facts and strategies that change hearts and minds and protect human life. The first national pro-life organization in the country, AUL is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
