{"id":329396,"date":"2025-04-09T06:46:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T11:46:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=329396"},"modified":"2025-04-09T23:47:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-10T04:47:00","slug":"illinois-house-ignore-fda-rules-abortion-pill-unsafe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/illinois-house-ignore-fda-rules-abortion-pill-unsafe\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois House passes bill to ignore FDA if it rules abortion pill unsafe"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Illinois House of Representatives has passed a bill that would keep abortion pills legal within the state even if the United States Food & Drug Administration (FDA) declares them unsafe<\/em>. The bill also serves as a “shield law” to protect abortionists from disciplinary action for violating the health care laws of other states if those acts are legal in Illinois.<\/p>\n

House Bill 3637<\/a>, passed on Monday, would amend the Illinois Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ensure that a drug’s FDA approval does not affect its approval and ability to be used within the state \u2014 as long as the World Health Organization approves it. While the bill itself does not single out abortion drugs, the bill’s authors made it clear that abortion is what they are aiming to protect.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to make sure when it comes to this particular issue, that FDA approval for medication abortion would not, or actually if the FDA were to take this medication out of its FDA approval, that it would not still ban or limit access to medication abortion in Illinois,\u201d Rep. Dagmara Avelar said<\/a> during debate on the House floor. She added,\u00a0\u201cWhat I would say is that, FDA approval for medication abortion, if the FDA revokes that, we would still in Illinois be able to have these drugs.”<\/p>\n

The amendment “Provides that a drug’s status as not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shall not cause it to be deemed an adulterated drug in violation of the Act if it is recommended for use by the World Health Organization (rather than if its safety and efficacy have been established by peer-reviewed research or if it is recommended for use by the World Health Organization).”<\/span><\/p>\n

READ: A partial victory for pregnancy centers in Illinois means their \u2018fight is far from over\u2019<\/em><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

It also provides that no<\/em> disciplinary or non-disciplinary action may be taken…<\/span><\/p>\n

“… against a person’s authorization to practice… based solely upon the person’s involvement in any health care service, so long as the care was not unlawful under the laws of the State… if that form of discipline was based solely on the person violating another state’s laws prohibiting involvement in any health care service if that health care service would not have been unlawful under the laws of the State and is consistent with the applicable standard of conduct for a person practicing in Illinois under those Acts.”<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

This portion of the bill also does not limit such “health care services” to abortion, and could reasonably include other controversial acts deemed “health care” in Illinois.<\/p>\n

Rep. Bill Hauter, a doctor who practices emergency medicine and anesthesiology, slammed the bill and called it outrageous, arguing, \u201cWe are saying that approval by the World Health Organization but active rejection because of safety by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration would be able to be prescribed in Illinois.” He added:<\/p>\n

We have to stop this sort of breaking down all of the safety mechanisms we have around abortion. There has to be some safety mechanisms, whether it be in the abortion clinic or with abortion mechanisms. Do not reject the authority of the U.S. Federal Drug Administration. This is an important safety mechanism. This bill would reject that. This is unprecedented in my mind.<\/em><\/p>\n