Pence Said “We Need To” Ban Abortion Pills In Leaked Audio. According to Jezebel, “Former Vice President and rumored 2024 presidential contender Mike Pence said ‘we need to’ ban abortion pills in audio obtained by Jezebel. The comments came during a book signing event on Monday in Houston, Texas. Someone at the event asked Pence about medication abortion. Here’s the conversation: Man: Are you thinking about what to do about abortion pills? Would you like to ban those? Pence: To me, it’s...I’m pro-life, and I think that’s a real issue and it’s really dangerous. Really dangerous. Man: I think you can ban them though, don’t you think? Pence: Uh you can, and we need to. We need to. My daughter’s written a lot about it, she writes for The Daily Wire. Man: Oh she does? Pence: Look up Charlotte Pence Bond, she’s done a lot of really important writing on that topic.” [Jezebel, 2/14/23]
Pence Signed Bill That Required Clinics That Provide Drug-Induced Abortions To Meet Same Standards As Clinics That Perform Surgical Abortions. According to the Associated Press, “Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has signed into law a bill tightening the state's regulations on distribution of the abortion pill and clinics that provide only drug-induced abortions. The governor's office says Pence on Wednesday signed the bill that cleared the Republican-dominated Legislature last month. Pence says the new law will ensure that the abortion pill is given under proper medical care. The new law will require clinics that provide only drug-induced abortions to meet the same standards as clinics that perform surgical abortions. Opponents contend the restrictions unfairly target poor women and are aimed at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Lafayette that's the only non-surgical abortion site in the state.” [Associated Press, 5/1/13]
The Law Required Clinics Distributing Medication Abortions Meet Same Standards As Clinics That Perform Surgical Abortions Affected Planned Parenthood Clinic In Lafayette, Indiana. According to WBAA, “The signed legislation would require Indiana abortion clinics that only dispense the abortion inducing drug known as RU-486 to adhere to the same physical standards as surgical abortion clinics. That includes bigger door and room sizes and surgical equipment requirements. Only one Indiana facility will be affected – a Planned Parenthood clinic in Lafayette.” [WBAA, 5/1/13]
A Federal Court Ultimately Blocked The Law. According to the Journal & Courier, “An injunction against a 2013 law that targeted Planned Parenthood's Lafayette facility will continue permanently. On Wednesday, a U.S. District Court judge made a final ruling on the lawsuit that's hung over of the Lafayette clinic for more than a year. The ruling prohibits the state of Indiana from enforcing the law that would have closed the center. ‘We're happy that this case is resolved and that we can continue providing services in Lafayette uninterrupted just as we have done for nearly 50 years,’ said Betty Cockrum, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky.” [Journal & Courier, 1/7/15]
January 2021: SCOTUS Reinstated Trump Administration Rule Requiring People Seeking Medication Abortions To Receive Drugs In Person. According to the Washington Post, “The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed with the Trump administration and reinstated requirements that women seeking medication abortions receive the drugs in person at a clinic, setting aside a judge’s ruling that protocol was dangerous during the coronavirus pandemic. The administration sought to reinstate rules by the Food and Drug Administration that women pick up the abortion pills at a medical facility — rather than receive them by mail or delivery — even though there is no requirement they take the medication in such a setting. Most take the pills that end a pregnancy in its early stages at home.” [Washington Post, 1/12/21]
The Trump-Pence Administration Asked The Supreme Court To Reinstate A Rule Mandating Abortion Seekers To Visit Health Care Providers In Person To Acquire One Of The Pills For Medication Abortions, After Lower Courts Blocked The Rule During The Coronavirus Pandemic. According to CNN, “The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to reinstate a rule requiring abortion seekers to visit health care providers in person to acquire one of the pills for medication abortions, after lower courts blocked the rule during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The escalated fight surrounding the pills -- which the Food and Drug Administration does not require to be taken while with the health care provider -- is the latest development in a pandemic-era clash over abortion access that has increasingly manifested as a battle of regulations.” [CNN, 8/26/20]
The FDA Did Not Specify Where The Drug, Mifepristone, Had To Be Taken. According to CNN, “Medication abortion, a nonsurgical procedure effective until about 10 weeks into a pregnancy, typically entails taking two drugs several days apart. The contested regulation concerns mifepristone, the first drug, which works to block the hormone progesterone necessary for a pregnancy to continue. The FDA information page on mifepristone states that the drug ‘may only be dispensed in clinics, medical offices, and hospitals by or under the supervision of a certified healthcare provider,’ but does not specify where the patient must take it. The second drug taken in a medication abortion, misoprostol, causes cramps and heavy bleeding as the uterus expels its contents. It can be taken ‘at a location appropriate for the patient,’ according to the FDA.” [CNN, 8/26/20]
The Trump-Pence Administration’s Challenge Came After Several Reproductive Health Groups Sued The FDA In May Over The Rule, Stating That It Was Unconstitutional For The Agency To Maintain The Rule For The Abortion Drug While Waiving It For Other Drugs In Light Of The Pandemic. According to CNN, “The Trump administration's challenge comes after several reproductive health groups, represented by the American Civil Liberties Union, sued the FDA in May over the long-standing requirement, arguing that it was unconstitutional for the agency to maintain the rule for the abortion drug while lifting it for other drugs in light of the pandemic. ‘By making life-threatening viral exposure risks a condition of treatment for medication abortion and miscarriage care, the FDA's continued maintenance of the Mifepristone In-Person Dispensing Requirement jeopardizes the safety of patients, clinicians, and the public at large, with no countervailing benefit—and with particularly severe implications for low-income people and people of color, who comprise a disproportionate share of impacted patients and who are already suffering and dying from COVID-19 at substantially higher rates,’ the ACLU wrote at the time. A lower court sided with the groups and temporarily blocked the requirement in July, and a federal appeals court denied the administration's efforts to overturn the ruling earlier this month.” [CNN, 8/26/20]