U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, told theGrio mifepristone is intended to “save someone’s life,” unlike Viagra, which has been proven to be deadly in some cases.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is warning anti-abortion advocates looking to ban an abortion drug to err on the side of caution because other popular drugs like Viagra could soon be on the chopping block.
“The fact that Viagra is a drug that is actually more dangerous [than mifepristone] and it’s not being challenged [in court], I want those that think that this fight isn’t their fight to think about what could happen,” Crockett told theGrio.
Crockett cautioned, “It could be Viagra, it could also be diabetic medication, cancer medication … if for some reason the Supreme Court” places limitations on the use of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in medication abortion procedures.
Crockett’s remarks come days after the Texas lawmaker engaged in an exchange with U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf during a House Oversight Committee hearing.
During the hearing on Thursday, Crockett compared mifepristone to Viagra and asked the commissioner, “Would you consider erectile dysfunction as a lifesaving usage for Viagra?”
The commissioner responded that it was “not lifesaving.”
Crockett told theGrio mifepristone is intended to “save someone’s life,” unlike Viagra, which has been proven to be deadly in some cases.
“Viagra, from my understanding, is actually near 10 times greater as it relates to the risk of death,” said Crockett. “Yet, for some reason, it’s not sitting in the court right now.”
On the contrary, the 43-year-old attorney argued that mifepristone is safe and has saved women’s lives.
Reflecting back at her now-viral hearing exchange with Commissioner Califf, Crockett said she knew comparing mifepristone to Viagra “would catch everyone’s attention.”
She explained, “I’m not saying that there aren’t other usages for Viagra, but the main use is for erectile dysfunction, that use is not lifesaving,” like in the case of mifepristone.
In recent months, the Department of Justice has contended that mifepristone is the “best method” to terminate early pregnancies, and the FDA stated that the drug is safe to use.
Crockett’s remarks come a month after the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case where anti-abortion doctors are seeking to ban mifepristone, which would disproportionately impact marginalized communities.
After listening to nearly two hours of oral arguments, the justices were skeptical as to whether the plaintiffs, anti-abortion doctors with Alliance For Hippocratic Medicine, had standing in the case.
The doctors argued that the court should either ban the abortion pill or place new restrictions on it to prevent them from being forced to treat abortion patients in the event of an emergency.
However, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, representing the liberal wing of the high court, made it clear that federal law provided the anti-abortion doctors with a solution by granting them the ability to opt out of providing abortion care.
In a previous interview with theGrio, Crockett said she believes the justices will rule against the anti-abortion doctors due to a lack of evidence to support their argument and due to their “very sloppy” presentation in court.
The case should not have “made it past summary judgment on the trial level,” she argued.
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