Poll: Most Americans distrust FDA’s abortion pill approval process

A new poll from CRC Research, commissioned by Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, surveyed 1,600 registered voters on their views about the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone, the first drug of the abortion pill regimen. The poll found that most Americans think the FDA approved the drug too hastily.

The survey asked questions such as, “Do you agree or disagree that the FDA should have performed studies before approving the drug for girls under 18?” Overwhelmingly, respondents answered yes (75%), with a combined total of 25% of respondents saying “no” or “unsure.”

The demographics of the poll respondents were fairly even: the gender breakdown was 48% men to 52% women, and the political party breakdown was 30% Republican, 34% Independent, and 36% Democrat.

Last week, District Court Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk issued a ruling overturning the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, originally approved for use in the United States in the year 2000. The Biden administration quickly filed an appeal opposing the decision with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Doctors involved in the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) case argued that the FDA ignored safety when it approved mifepristone and that there have been a large number of complications as a result. Alliance Defending Freedom senior counsel Erik Baptist said in a press conference that the FDA fast-tracked approval for RU-486.

“The FDA never studied the safety of the drug regimen and disregarded clear evidence that the pills cause life threatening complications. As a result of ignoring the science, women and girls became victims of the FDA’s reckless, agenda-driven approval,” he said, adding, “To add to this problem, the FDA did not have any evidence or studies on the potential harms of the drug regimen before approving it.”

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The CRC Research poll presented this information to respondents, asking if knowing these things would make respondents see the FDA as more or less trustworthy; over half said they would trust the FDA less.

Additionally, the FDA does not keep track of complications from mifepristone except when women die as a result, which 62% of respondents said made them feel less confident in the supposed safety of the abortion pill regimen.

In addition, 61% said they opposed abortion pills being sent through the mail and taken with no medical supervision.

“The majority of Americans understand that the abortion pill is dangerous and they see through the abortion lobby’s lies,” SBA Pro-Life American President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in the press release. “Common sense tells us that sending these drugs through the mail unsupervised puts women at risk, and that adolescent girls are at an especially vulnerable stage in their development. Under every Democratic administration, the FDA has undermined its own credibility by putting politics before patients.”

She added, “In good faith, we ask all Americans – pro-life or pro-choice – as well as advocates for legal abortion to join us in calling on the FDA to do its critical job and prioritize the health and safety of women and girls.”

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