The fight to protect unborn life has entered a new phase following the overturning of Roe v. Wade. On The Drew Mariani Show, Drew spoke with Bishop Daniel Thomas of Toledo, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, about the growing availability of abortion pills and what Catholics can do in response.
Bishop Thomas explained that federal restrictions surrounding mifepristone (the active ingredient in many abortifacients) have gradually been loosened. The drug was originally approved by the FDA for abortion in 2000 with required direct medical involvement. In subsequent years, requirements were reduced, eventually allowing abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth and obtained without an in-person examination.
For Bishop Thomas, the concern involves both the unborn child and the mother. Every abortion deliberately ends the life of a child, and looser restrictions will result in more abortions, leaving women in crisis traumatized and scarred. He also warned that easier access can create opportunities for coercion or abuse by violent partners and human traffickers.
The bishops are responding with a nationwide effort centered on both prayer and action.
Through the end of Respect Life Month in October, Catholics are being encouraged to visit RespectLife.org, where they can participate in an initiative asking pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to stop distributing abortion drugs. Bishop Thomas noted that some pharmacies have already chosen not to sell them, giving Catholics reason to continue making their concerns known.
Prayer remains central to the effort. The bishops are particularly asking for the intercession of St. Joseph, Defender of Life. As the foster father of Jesus and husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph offers Catholics a model of fatherhood marked by protection, responsibility, and faithful care for the family.
The conversation also emphasized that the Church’s pro-life mission includes accompanying women before and after pregnancy. Bishop Thomas pointed listeners toward programs such as Walking with Moms in Need, which assists pregnant and parenting mothers, and Project Rachel Ministry, which offers confidential support and healing to those who have been affected by abortion.
Drew reminded listeners that Catholics living today have been entrusted with their own responsibility in the defense of human life. That may mean educating others, contacting pharmacies or elected officials, supporting mothers in need, or simply committing to daily prayer.
We are called to defend life through our actions and prayers.
The USCCB is asking Catholics to make that response concrete through its Respect Life Prayer and Action initiative. The faithful are encouraged to pray the Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life, asking for his intercession for unborn children, mothers, fathers, and all those working to protect human life.
Catholics can also sign up for the USCCB’s Respect Life Prayer and Action email list. Subscribers will receive facts and resources about abortion pills that can be shared within their communities, action alerts directed toward pharmacies to help stop the spread of abortion pills, and additional opportunities to participate in the Church’s pro-life efforts.
As Bishop Thomas emphasized in his conversation with Drew, prayer and action belong together. Catholics can ask St. Joseph to defend the most vulnerable while also taking practical steps to make their voices heard in defense of mothers and their unborn children.