WASHINGTON (BP) — The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has endorsed a letter from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America urging the U.S. Justice Department to allow state lawsuits to proceed against mail order abortion drugs.
ERLC Acting President Gary Hollingsworth signed the letter April 13 in hopes the DOJ would reverse course under acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche while a study continues on mifepristone’s safety. Under former attorney general Pam Bondi, the DOJ sought the dismissal of lawsuits impacting the use of abortion drugs including mifepristone in six states.
The transition in DOJ leadership is a key moment in the fight for life, ERLC Senior Policy Manager Katy Roberts told Baptist Press.
“During a critical inflection point in the pro-life movement and a time of transition at the Department of Justice, Acting Attorney General Blanche has an opportunity to lead the DOJ in upholding a culture of life,” Roberts said. “This letter urges him to do so by allowing pro-life states to proceed with their lawsuits against the FDA’s regulation of — or lack thereof—mail-order abortion drugs.
“The DOJ should allow these lawsuits to progress even while the FDA’s safety review is outstanding.”
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, referenced in the letter two recent polls indicating the majority of Americans approve of greater regulation of abortion drugs, and that the Trump administration’s continued pushback of lawsuits that challenge the drugs will hurt Republicans at the ballot box.
The letter references a nationwide October 2025 McLaughlin & Associates survey that 70 percent of likely general election voters –including 57 percent of liberal voters – think abortion pills should only be available through an in-person doctor’s appointment. A nationwide Cygnal survey released in February indicates disapprove of mail-order abortion drug prescriptions, and would be less enthusiastic at election time if Republican leaders abandon pro-life policies.
“This administration’s support for the mail-order abortion drug regime up to this point is out of step with the majority of voters and specifically with the GOP base,” Dannenfelser wrote in the letter. “When abortion drugs are available through the mail, there is no accountability, state laws are made impotent, and women and girls are hurt. This is a harmful and politically dangerous path. We urge the DOJ to stop siding with the abortion industry and stand with pro-life states and brave women like Rosalie.”
Rosalie Markezich, whom Dannenfelser identifies as “a young woman pressured into abortion by her boyfriend,” joined Louisiana in challenging the availability of mail-order abortion drugs.
Other states challenging the drugs are Missouri, Idaho, Kansas, Florida and Texas.
Roberts urged the Trump administration to listen to its constituency and others and allow the state lawsuits to proceed.
“Southern Baptists believe that from the moment of conception, every human life is valuable and worthy of protection. The ERLC continues to seek to advance the pro-life cause in every possible arena: legislative, administrative, and judicial,” Roberts told Baptist Press. “We urge the administration to remember the precious lives at stake and to allow state efforts to protect life to proceed through the courts, instead of blocking them.”
Joining ERLC in endorsing the letter are 78 national and state-based pro-life advocacy groups, including the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, National Right to Life, Americans United for Life, Christian Medical & Dental Associations, Democrats for Life of America and CatholicVote.
Read the letter here.
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