A group of 13 House Republicans led by North Carolina Congressman Mark Harris demanded Friday that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fire the bureaucrats responsible for the FDA’s “alarming” approval of a new abortion pill, according to a letter obtained by The Daily Wire.
Harris told Kennedy that the FDA’s approval of Evita Solutions’ generic mifepristone, the drug used in over 60% of all abortions, ran contrary to the Trump administration’s pro-life record. Harris and his co-signers suggested that “rogue actors” in the FDA were responsible for the decision.
“The approval of a generic version of this dangerous drug not only contradicts the announced review but also runs directly counter to this Administration’s stated pro-life agenda,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is clear that rogue actors within the FDA are working to undermine both the sanctity of life and the Administration’s commitment to protecting it.”
They said that Kennedy should look at removing the officials responsible for the decision.
“For this reason, we respectfully urge that you consider the director of the Office of Generic Drugs, the director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, and other bureaucrats responsible for this reckless decision as part of your reduction-in-force evaluations,” he wrote.
Signing onto the letter were Reps. Josh Brecheen (OK), Keith Self (Texas), Eli Crane (AZ), Paul Gosar (AZ), Chip Roy (Texas), Mary Miller (IL), Andy Biggs (AZ), Barry Moore (AL), Scott Perry (PA), Ralph Norman (SC), Sheri Biggs (SC), and Ben Cline (VA).
Mifepristone works by starving an unborn child to death by cutting it off from the necessary nutrients provided by its mother. A different drug is then taken to induce labor and expel the deceased baby from the mother.
Harris said that removing the officials responsible for the decision would send a message that the administration still believes in defending innocent life.
“As stewards of the taxpayers’ trust and defenders of the unborn, we must ensure that no federal office operates in open defiance of our values or the administration’s pro-life commitments. This is a critical moment to send a clear message that the lives of the unborn and the health of women will not be compromised by bureaucratic mismanagement or ideological activism.
Commenting on the approval, Health and Human Services Communications Director Andrew Nixon told The Daily Wire that the FDA “has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug. By law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve an application if it demonstrates that the generic drug is identical to the brand-name drug.”
Nixon added that applicants for generic drugs do not need to submit independent evidence proving safety and efficacy. He also noted that HHS is conducting a review of the “reported adverse effects” of mifepristone.
Only two other drug companies, Danco Labs and Genbiopro, were previously approved to distribute the life-ending drug. The FDA wrote to Evita Solutions on September 30 that it had “concluded that adequate information has been presented to demonstrate that the drug meets the requirements for approval.”
The announcement shocked pro-life advocates, who have continued to press for action to crack down on the widespread distribution of abortion pills across the country.
.png)
.png)
