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Priest’s murder in Mexico may be warning to sow fear, priest says #Catholic The recent murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández in the Mexican state of Hidalgo has once again drawn attention to the violence plaguing the country and has renewed concerns over how organized crime acts with impunity. De la Cruz, 48, the parish priest of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo, was found dead on a road in the Lolotla district on Sept. 15. On Sept. 17, Francisco Ángel Fernández Hasbun, chief of staff for the Hidalgo state attorney generalʼs office, stated in a video that the agency is “conducting the appropriate investigations.”According to local media, the priestʼs body was found with gunshot wounds near a pickup truck, accompanied by a placard bearing a message whose content has not been disclosed by the authorities. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has demanded a “thorough investigation” of the case, while Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán of the Diocese of Huejutla lamented “the alarming situation of violence being experienced in our country.”Around 600 people marched for peace in Huejutla on Sunday, Sept. 20, and attended a Mass for De la Cruz. During the homily, Acosta called for “a culture of peace and reconciliation,” asking for the crime to be solved and urging that "neither this event nor the other crimes that have wounded our Mexican nation be allowed to go unpunished.”On the afternoon of Sept. 21, Acosta and Fernández met and delivered a brief joint statement.Fernández said important information regarding the case was provided during the meeting and said the two believe the case will resolve quickly, noting the Church’s collaboration with the authorities during the inquiries.‘The telltale signs of organized crime’According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, a group that documents violence against Church members in Mexico, four priests have been murdered so far during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in office. The total number of priests murdered since 1990 exceeds 60.The center’s director, priest and journalist Father Omar Sotelo, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the murder “bears the telltale signs of organized crime.”Sotelo noted that “extortion and threats against priests in the country are an ongoing reality.” He noted that, among those recorded and analyzed by the group, “more than 80% of cases remain unsolved,” including the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, archbishop of Guadalajara, a case that stands as “a monument to impunity.”In a 2016 Facebook video, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, then-archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara and Posadas’ successor, declared the murder “a crime by the state, perpetrated by the Federal Judicial Police.” He even named Rodolfo León Aragón, then-director of the police, as the one behind the murder, who Sandoval said probably got his orders from then-Attorney General Jorge Carpizo, whose death in 2012 ended the investigation. ‘This could happen to us, too’Julieta Appendini, director of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Mexico, told ACI Prensa “it is important not to view these murders merely as isolated criminal acts.”The impact of a crime against a priest “goes far beyond the loss of an individual,” she said, noting that “the priest often has a very close presence in the life of the community: He knows the families, ministers to the sick, listens to people’s problems, celebrates the sacraments, and can also serve as a figure of trust and mediation.”“When he is murdered, the community loses someone who fulfilled many of those roles, and an even greater sense of fear and helplessness can take hold.”She warned that the murder could serve as a warning to other priests: ‘This could happen to us, too.’” The faithful attend the Mass celebrated on Sept. 20, 2026, in Santa Cruz, Huejutla, in memory of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández. | Credit: Father Domingo Porfirio Cruz/Diocese of Huejutla ‘The goal is to sow fear’“The goal is to sow fear,” Sotelo said. The community of Huejutla “is afraid; they have already told us so.”Despite this, he affirmed that, “the clergy of Huejutla will continue working and carrying out their pastoral mission just as they are doing now.”According to Sotelo, this type of murder demonstrates “the ruthless power” of organized crime in the country, “where, regrettably, the authorities have been ineffective in managing the situation and ensuring the safety of the Mexican people.”Appendini pointed out that “a priest working in a community affected by violence does not merely celebrate the sacraments. Often, he is one of the individuals who remains when others have had to leave; he ministers to the families, listens to the victims, defends the vulnerable, and can become a voice denouncing these acts of violence.”“That can place him in a vulnerable position vis-à-vis those seeking to control territory or impose silence,” she said.Appendini noted that ACN’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report “points to threats, extortion, murders, assaults, and pressure to remain silent directed at priests and other religious leaders in Mexico.”However, she clarified that “not every attack on a priest is necessarily motivated by an intent to attack religion. In Mexico, violence can be linked to territorial control, drug trafficking, extortion, or land disputes.”Religious freedom “comes into play when a person is put at risk precisely for carrying out their mission and ministering to their community,” she said.‘We must not normalize these situations’“Fear also has consequences for religious freedom,” Appendini warned, noting that “a person may legally have the right to practice their faith, but if doing so publicly, serving their community, or speaking out against violence puts him in danger, then that right is not being fully exercised.”“That is why, at ACN, we believe we must not normalize these situations or reduce them merely to statistics. When a priest who serves his community is threatened or murdered, we must also ask ourselves what is happening to that community and to the freedom of the people living there,” she noted.Sotelo acknowledged that, in both his priestly ministry and his work as a journalist, “we sometimes feel fear; we know that at any moment we could even lose our lives for speaking about these kinds of circumstances.”However, he affirmed that “God is with us, the Master Jesus is with us, and in the face of that, we have no choice but to continue carrying out our pastoral work as a priest, a journalist, as a reporter.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
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Priest’s murder in Mexico may be warning to sow fear, priest says #Catholic The recent murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández in the Mexican state of Hidalgo has once again drawn attention to the violence plaguing the country and has renewed concerns over how organized crime acts with impunity. De la Cruz, 48, the parish priest of Santa Cruz in Huejutla, Hidalgo, was found dead on a road in the Lolotla district on Sept. 15. On Sept. 17, Francisco Ángel Fernández Hasbun, chief of staff for the Hidalgo state attorney generalʼs office, stated in a video that the agency is “conducting the appropriate investigations.”According to local media, the priestʼs body was found with gunshot wounds near a pickup truck, accompanied by a placard bearing a message whose content has not been disclosed by the authorities. The Mexican Bishops’ Conference (CEM) has demanded a “thorough investigation” of the case, while Bishop José Hiraís Acosta Beltrán of the Diocese of Huejutla lamented “the alarming situation of violence being experienced in our country.”Around 600 people marched for peace in Huejutla on Sunday, Sept. 20, and attended a Mass for De la Cruz. During the homily, Acosta called for “a culture of peace and reconciliation,” asking for the crime to be solved and urging that "neither this event nor the other crimes that have wounded our Mexican nation be allowed to go unpunished.”On the afternoon of Sept. 21, Acosta and Fernández met and delivered a brief joint statement.Fernández said important information regarding the case was provided during the meeting and said the two believe the case will resolve quickly, noting the Church’s collaboration with the authorities during the inquiries.‘The telltale signs of organized crime’According to the Catholic Multimedia Center, a group that documents violence against Church members in Mexico, four priests have been murdered so far during President Claudia Sheinbaum’s term in office. The total number of priests murdered since 1990 exceeds 60.The center’s director, priest and journalist Father Omar Sotelo, told ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News, that the murder “bears the telltale signs of organized crime.”Sotelo noted that “extortion and threats against priests in the country are an ongoing reality.” He noted that, among those recorded and analyzed by the group, “more than 80% of cases remain unsolved,” including the 1993 murder of Cardinal Juan Jesús Posadas Ocampo, archbishop of Guadalajara, a case that stands as “a monument to impunity.”In a 2016 Facebook video, Cardinal Juan Sandoval Íñiguez, then-archbishop emeritus of Guadalajara and Posadas’ successor, declared the murder “a crime by the state, perpetrated by the Federal Judicial Police.” He even named Rodolfo León Aragón, then-director of the police, as the one behind the murder, who Sandoval said probably got his orders from then-Attorney General Jorge Carpizo, whose death in 2012 ended the investigation. ‘This could happen to us, too’Julieta Appendini, director of the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in Mexico, told ACI Prensa “it is important not to view these murders merely as isolated criminal acts.”The impact of a crime against a priest “goes far beyond the loss of an individual,” she said, noting that “the priest often has a very close presence in the life of the community: He knows the families, ministers to the sick, listens to people’s problems, celebrates the sacraments, and can also serve as a figure of trust and mediation.”“When he is murdered, the community loses someone who fulfilled many of those roles, and an even greater sense of fear and helplessness can take hold.”She warned that the murder could serve as a warning to other priests: ‘This could happen to us, too.’” The faithful attend the Mass celebrated on Sept. 20, 2026, in Santa Cruz, Huejutla, in memory of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández. | Credit: Father Domingo Porfirio Cruz/Diocese of Huejutla ‘The goal is to sow fear’“The goal is to sow fear,” Sotelo said. The community of Huejutla “is afraid; they have already told us so.”Despite this, he affirmed that, “the clergy of Huejutla will continue working and carrying out their pastoral mission just as they are doing now.”According to Sotelo, this type of murder demonstrates “the ruthless power” of organized crime in the country, “where, regrettably, the authorities have been ineffective in managing the situation and ensuring the safety of the Mexican people.”Appendini pointed out that “a priest working in a community affected by violence does not merely celebrate the sacraments. Often, he is one of the individuals who remains when others have had to leave; he ministers to the families, listens to the victims, defends the vulnerable, and can become a voice denouncing these acts of violence.”“That can place him in a vulnerable position vis-à-vis those seeking to control territory or impose silence,” she said.Appendini noted that ACN’s 2025 Religious Freedom Report “points to threats, extortion, murders, assaults, and pressure to remain silent directed at priests and other religious leaders in Mexico.”However, she clarified that “not every attack on a priest is necessarily motivated by an intent to attack religion. In Mexico, violence can be linked to territorial control, drug trafficking, extortion, or land disputes.”Religious freedom “comes into play when a person is put at risk precisely for carrying out their mission and ministering to their community,” she said.‘We must not normalize these situations’“Fear also has consequences for religious freedom,” Appendini warned, noting that “a person may legally have the right to practice their faith, but if doing so publicly, serving their community, or speaking out against violence puts him in danger, then that right is not being fully exercised.”“That is why, at ACN, we believe we must not normalize these situations or reduce them merely to statistics. When a priest who serves his community is threatened or murdered, we must also ask ourselves what is happening to that community and to the freedom of the people living there,” she noted.Sotelo acknowledged that, in both his priestly ministry and his work as a journalist, “we sometimes feel fear; we know that at any moment we could even lose our lives for speaking about these kinds of circumstances.”However, he affirmed that “God is with us, the Master Jesus is with us, and in the face of that, we have no choice but to continue carrying out our pastoral work as a priest, a journalist, as a reporter.”This story was first published by ACI Prensa, the Spanish-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.

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The Sept. 15 murder of Father Román de la Cruz Hernández was likely perpetrated by organized crime and is not an isolated incident but forms part of a pattern of fear and intimidation.

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Cardinal Burke to lead international Rosary Rally in Amsterdam #Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke will preside over Radio Maria’s annual Rosary Rally of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sept. 5.“Cardinal Burke will be the principal celebrant at Holy Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Keizersgracht 218, Amsterdam. Later that afternoon, he will lead a prayer service and give an inspiring talk at the Vondelpark,” Radio Maria’s website states. The event takes place every year as a fulfillment of the request of Our Lady of Fatima to pray for a spirit of conversion in society. Centenary of first Catholic Mass in Norway celebratedIn celebration of 100 years since the first Catholic Mass in Norway, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim presided over a solemn Mass in Longyearbyen.The Mass took place at Svalbard Church on Aug. 30, and was widely attended by members of the Catholic community, as well as nonprofit organizations and representatives of the Lutheran Church of Norway, according to a Vatican News report on Aug. 31. “For the sake of bringing Jesus’ sacrifice concretely to Svalbard, Bishop Smit came here in 1926 and celebrated the first Catholic Mass on the archipelago,” Varden said during his homily. “In gratitude for the grace God has poured out on Svalbard through a hundred years, we will faithfully take responsibility for that grace.”Scottish sisters to stand trial over historic child abuse chargesIn Scotland, five Sisters of Nazareth nuns aged between 67 and 84 have been indicted to stand trial. They are accused of multiple abuse charges against several children following a preliminary hearing that took place at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday.Marie Docherty, 84, Mary Broderick, 83, Margaret McLafferty, 67, Kathleen McLean, 76, and Mary Doyle, 80, were named on an indictment, which contains 108 charges. The indictment includes allegations that children were punched, struck, kicked, force-fed, forced to stand while wearing soiled bedding or clothing. The alleged crimes are said to have taken place mainly at Nazareth House locations in Aberdeen and Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, between 1965 and 1982.The accused have previously entered pleas of not guilty.A further preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2027, and the court has provisionally set aside eight weeks for a trial starting on March 30, 2027, in Glasgow. ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ in Australia to operate under theme ‘Love Protects’Catholics across Australia will observe “Safeguarding Sunday” on Sept. 13 under the theme, “Love Protects” in honor of victims of abuse within the Church.“‘Love Protects’ reminds us that genuine love is demonstrated through action,” Bishop Greg Bennet, chair of the Bishops Commission for Professional Standards and Safeguarding in Australia, said in a Sept. 4 press release. “Safeguarding is an essential part of our mission and ministry. It calls each of us to be attentive, accountable, and committed to ensuring that every person can participate in the life of the Church safely and with confidence.”New leader for Melkite Catholics in Argentina Lebanese priest Jean Abou Charouche has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Melkite Greek Catholic community in Argentina as apostolic exarch and has been raised to the rank of bishop, ACI MENA, EWTN News’ Arabic-language sister service, reported on Aug. 31.The Melkite exarchate in Argentina serves about 345,000 faithful.Born near Beirut in 1972, Abou Charouche was ordained a priest in 1998 and has devoted much of his ministry to preparing future priests and religious. He later moved to Argentina, becoming pastor of St. George Cathedral in Córdoba in 2015. Since 2023, he has already been overseeing the countryʼs Melkite Catholic community as apostolic administrator. Pro-life groups protest ‘International Safe Abortion Day’ celebration in BelfastChristian and pro-life groups have called on the Belfast City Council to cancel plans to illuminate the city in observance of “International Safe Abortion Day.”“The strength of this open letter comes from the breadth of organizations standing together. Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, pro-life, pregnancy-support, and Christian community groups have united to send Belfast City Council a clear and respectful message: City Hall is not a billboard for abortion,” Bernadette Smyth, director of the Precious Life, the largest pro-life group in Northern Ireland, said in a press release Sept. 1. The letter came ahead of Belfast City Hall’s 11-3 vote to approve the measure on Sept. 2.Ivory Coast cardinal decries illegal gold mining Ignace Cardinal Bessi Dogbo of the Ivory Coast’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan has denounced the devastating environmental consequences of illegal gold mining, calling for stronger state action to protect the country’s natural resources and its people, ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, reported Sept. 3.In his homily during the Mass of the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the cardinal reflected on the ecological vision of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, warning against the destruction of land and waterways caused by the pursuit of gold.He also challenged what he described as the excessive attachment to money that fuels the exploitation of creation.“Gold that kills is not gold. Illegal gold mining that kills human beings is worse than idolatry. It is beyond words,” Dogbo said, condemning mining activities that “soil the water,” destroy the environment, and transform rivers into “polluted wastelands.”UK government warns against assisted suicide in latest assessmentAn updated assessment from the UK government has found that “poverty, poor care, and abuse” could lead to “disproportionate numbers of ethnic minority people” seeking to end their lives via assisted suicide.The latest assessment, released Aug. 29, comes as the government increased its central estimate of annual assisted deaths from 2,183 to 3,502, according to an Aug. 29 press release from Right To Life UK. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for extensive healthcare reforms to take place before the passage of legislation on assisted dying. “Personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first, and that’s the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. ”I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”Patrick J. Passmore contributed to this report.
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Cardinal Burke to lead international Rosary Rally in Amsterdam #Catholic Cardinal Raymond Burke will preside over Radio Maria’s annual Rosary Rally of reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary on Sept. 5.“Cardinal Burke will be the principal celebrant at Holy Mass in the Church of Our Lady, Keizersgracht 218, Amsterdam. Later that afternoon, he will lead a prayer service and give an inspiring talk at the Vondelpark,” Radio Maria’s website states. The event takes place every year as a fulfillment of the request of Our Lady of Fatima to pray for a spirit of conversion in society. Centenary of first Catholic Mass in Norway celebratedIn celebration of 100 years since the first Catholic Mass in Norway, Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim presided over a solemn Mass in Longyearbyen.The Mass took place at Svalbard Church on Aug. 30, and was widely attended by members of the Catholic community, as well as nonprofit organizations and representatives of the Lutheran Church of Norway, according to a Vatican News report on Aug. 31. “For the sake of bringing Jesus’ sacrifice concretely to Svalbard, Bishop Smit came here in 1926 and celebrated the first Catholic Mass on the archipelago,” Varden said during his homily. “In gratitude for the grace God has poured out on Svalbard through a hundred years, we will faithfully take responsibility for that grace.”Scottish sisters to stand trial over historic child abuse chargesIn Scotland, five Sisters of Nazareth nuns aged between 67 and 84 have been indicted to stand trial. They are accused of multiple abuse charges against several children following a preliminary hearing that took place at the High Court in Glasgow on Monday.Marie Docherty, 84, Mary Broderick, 83, Margaret McLafferty, 67, Kathleen McLean, 76, and Mary Doyle, 80, were named on an indictment, which contains 108 charges. The indictment includes allegations that children were punched, struck, kicked, force-fed, forced to stand while wearing soiled bedding or clothing. The alleged crimes are said to have taken place mainly at Nazareth House locations in Aberdeen and Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, between 1965 and 1982.The accused have previously entered pleas of not guilty.A further preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 22, 2027, and the court has provisionally set aside eight weeks for a trial starting on March 30, 2027, in Glasgow. ‘Safeguarding Sunday’ in Australia to operate under theme ‘Love Protects’Catholics across Australia will observe “Safeguarding Sunday” on Sept. 13 under the theme, “Love Protects” in honor of victims of abuse within the Church.“‘Love Protects’ reminds us that genuine love is demonstrated through action,” Bishop Greg Bennet, chair of the Bishops Commission for Professional Standards and Safeguarding in Australia, said in a Sept. 4 press release. “Safeguarding is an essential part of our mission and ministry. It calls each of us to be attentive, accountable, and committed to ensuring that every person can participate in the life of the Church safely and with confidence.”New leader for Melkite Catholics in Argentina Lebanese priest Jean Abou Charouche has been appointed by Pope Leo XIV to lead the Melkite Greek Catholic community in Argentina as apostolic exarch and has been raised to the rank of bishop, ACI MENA, EWTN News’ Arabic-language sister service, reported on Aug. 31.The Melkite exarchate in Argentina serves about 345,000 faithful.Born near Beirut in 1972, Abou Charouche was ordained a priest in 1998 and has devoted much of his ministry to preparing future priests and religious. He later moved to Argentina, becoming pastor of St. George Cathedral in Córdoba in 2015. Since 2023, he has already been overseeing the countryʼs Melkite Catholic community as apostolic administrator. Pro-life groups protest ‘International Safe Abortion Day’ celebration in BelfastChristian and pro-life groups have called on the Belfast City Council to cancel plans to illuminate the city in observance of “International Safe Abortion Day.”“The strength of this open letter comes from the breadth of organizations standing together. Catholic, Protestant, evangelical, pro-life, pregnancy-support, and Christian community groups have united to send Belfast City Council a clear and respectful message: City Hall is not a billboard for abortion,” Bernadette Smyth, director of the Precious Life, the largest pro-life group in Northern Ireland, said in a press release Sept. 1. The letter came ahead of Belfast City Hall’s 11-3 vote to approve the measure on Sept. 2.Ivory Coast cardinal decries illegal gold mining Ignace Cardinal Bessi Dogbo of the Ivory Coast’s Catholic Archdiocese of Abidjan has denounced the devastating environmental consequences of illegal gold mining, calling for stronger state action to protect the country’s natural resources and its people, ACI Africa, EWTN News’ sister service in Africa, reported Sept. 3.In his homily during the Mass of the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, the cardinal reflected on the ecological vision of Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si’, warning against the destruction of land and waterways caused by the pursuit of gold.He also challenged what he described as the excessive attachment to money that fuels the exploitation of creation.“Gold that kills is not gold. Illegal gold mining that kills human beings is worse than idolatry. It is beyond words,” Dogbo said, condemning mining activities that “soil the water,” destroy the environment, and transform rivers into “polluted wastelands.”UK government warns against assisted suicide in latest assessmentAn updated assessment from the UK government has found that “poverty, poor care, and abuse” could lead to “disproportionate numbers of ethnic minority people” seeking to end their lives via assisted suicide.The latest assessment, released Aug. 29, comes as the government increased its central estimate of annual assisted deaths from 2,183 to 3,502, according to an Aug. 29 press release from Right To Life UK. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has called for extensive healthcare reforms to take place before the passage of legislation on assisted dying. “Personally, I think there’s something that needs to happen first, and that’s the fixing of the funding of palliative care and social care,” Burnham said on July 29. ”I think it is very challenging to introduce that wider debate in a context of people not receiving that care and having the peace of mind about that care.”Patrick J. Passmore contributed to this report.

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Catholic cardinal presides over Rosary Rally in Holland, Norway celebrates 100 years since first Mass, Scottish sisters to stand trial for abuse, and more in this week’s world news round up.

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How Trump’s new FDA pick could be monumental in the fight for life #Catholic In the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s appointment of Dr. Heidi Overton, a medical doctor with a history of fighting for life, as head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pro-life groups are urging her to end mail-order abortion.Since January 2025 and up until now, Overton has worked as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. Before that, she spent more than three years at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a conservative think tank. On Aug. 19, Trump appointed her to head the FDA, though she will need to be confirmed by the Senate first, which is likely given the Republican majority.She has a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johnson Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Overton has been outspoken about the dangers of chemical abortion for women and babies, according to a 2023 AFPI brief she authored where she criticized federal policy that made abortion pills available via telehealth.“Abortion is corrosive to children, women, and society broadly because it devalues and extinguishes innocent human life,” Overton wrote in 2023. “Unfortunately, federal policymakers have recently expanded access to abortion pills, also called chemical abortions, which are far more dangerous to women, enabling rapid access to abortion.”About two-thirds of abortions in the United States are chemical, meaning they happen via mifepristone and misoprostol pills. These pills are available via mail in any state, even states where these drugs are illegal. Abortion by mail is highly unregulated, creating danger for female patients.The abortion pill has continued to be left largely unregulated by Trump’s Food and Drug Administration, in spite of the documented danger to women, including coercion, poisonings, and physical harm.Advocates for unborn children highlight the importance of opposing chemical abortions and protecting unborn children across state lines, as chemical abortion pills make state pro-life laws moot.Hope for limitations on chemical abortionsLeading voices for life agree that the FDA should regulate mail-order chemical abortions. After being deeply disappointed so far by Trump’s FDA, they hope Overton is the woman for the task.The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), an organization of medical doctors who believe in protecting unborn children and their mothers, “applauds the nomination,” said CEO Dr. Christina Francis.“Dr. Overton has a track record of recognizing the dignity of all of our patients (including our fetal patients) and recognizing the value of life-affirming healthcare,” Francis told EWTN News.“We are hopeful that Dr. Overton will reinstate vital safeguards around the dangerous abortion drug mifepristone,” Francis said. “Too many tragic incidents continue to pile up in which women have been left to handle the consequences of these potentially fatal drugs on their own.”“As physicians, we demand the FDA do its job and reinstate essential safeguards for our patients,” Francis said.Live Action, a group seeking to shift the culture and law on abortion, also viewed the nomination positively.“Live Action is encouraged by President Trump’s nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the Food and Drug Administration,” said Live Action spokesman Noah Brandt.“During Dr. Overton’s time at the America First Policy Institute, she helped lead important work exposing the dangers of chemical abortion and the serious risks posed by the abortion pill,” Brandt told EWTN News.“We pray that if Dr. Overton is confirmed that she brings that same courage and leadership to the FDA, which has an enormous responsibility to protect the health and safety of America’s women and children,” Brandt said.Brandt called on Overton to put a halt to chemical abortion pills entirely, beginning with mail-order abortions.“If confirmed, Dr. Overton should pull the deadly abortion pill from the market completely by first ending mail-order abortions, which are killing babies across the country,” he said.Kristi Hamrick, spokeswoman for Students for Life Action, called for Overton to take serious action against mifepristone.“It’s a good thing to have a nominee who has been skeptical of the kinds of policies the FDA has been pushing, but we are not looking for words; we are looking for deeds,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “The reckless rubber-stamping of chemical abortion pills has implications for babies in the womb, their mothers, and even the environment.”“We are looking for a first-ever review of chemical abortion pills, the abusers' dream drug, that is now being mailed illegally into many states with pro-life laws in place,” Hamrick said.Hamrick also urged Overton to investigate the environmental impact of chemical abortion drugs in the nation’s drinking water supplies.“The FDA has never looked into the environmental risks of allowing abortion water pollution nationwide, and you donʼt have to be pro-life to want clean drinking water,” Hamrick said.“We would ask Dr. Overton to do the work never done before — really evaluate mifepristone, its distribution, and risks to babies, women, and all life, endangered species included,” Hamrick said.
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How Trump’s new FDA pick could be monumental in the fight for life #Catholic In the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s appointment of Dr. Heidi Overton, a medical doctor with a history of fighting for life, as head of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), pro-life groups are urging her to end mail-order abortion.Since January 2025 and up until now, Overton has worked as deputy assistant to the president for domestic policy. Before that, she spent more than three years at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a conservative think tank. On Aug. 19, Trump appointed her to head the FDA, though she will need to be confirmed by the Senate first, which is likely given the Republican majority.She has a doctorate in clinical investigation from Johnson Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health as well as a medical degree from the University of New Mexico School of Medicine. Overton has been outspoken about the dangers of chemical abortion for women and babies, according to a 2023 AFPI brief she authored where she criticized federal policy that made abortion pills available via telehealth.“Abortion is corrosive to children, women, and society broadly because it devalues and extinguishes innocent human life,” Overton wrote in 2023. “Unfortunately, federal policymakers have recently expanded access to abortion pills, also called chemical abortions, which are far more dangerous to women, enabling rapid access to abortion.”About two-thirds of abortions in the United States are chemical, meaning they happen via mifepristone and misoprostol pills. These pills are available via mail in any state, even states where these drugs are illegal. Abortion by mail is highly unregulated, creating danger for female patients.The abortion pill has continued to be left largely unregulated by Trump’s Food and Drug Administration, in spite of the documented danger to women, including coercion, poisonings, and physical harm.Advocates for unborn children highlight the importance of opposing chemical abortions and protecting unborn children across state lines, as chemical abortion pills make state pro-life laws moot.Hope for limitations on chemical abortionsLeading voices for life agree that the FDA should regulate mail-order chemical abortions. After being deeply disappointed so far by Trump’s FDA, they hope Overton is the woman for the task.The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), an organization of medical doctors who believe in protecting unborn children and their mothers, “applauds the nomination,” said CEO Dr. Christina Francis.“Dr. Overton has a track record of recognizing the dignity of all of our patients (including our fetal patients) and recognizing the value of life-affirming healthcare,” Francis told EWTN News.“We are hopeful that Dr. Overton will reinstate vital safeguards around the dangerous abortion drug mifepristone,” Francis said. “Too many tragic incidents continue to pile up in which women have been left to handle the consequences of these potentially fatal drugs on their own.”“As physicians, we demand the FDA do its job and reinstate essential safeguards for our patients,” Francis said.Live Action, a group seeking to shift the culture and law on abortion, also viewed the nomination positively.“Live Action is encouraged by President Trump’s nomination of Dr. Heidi Overton to lead the Food and Drug Administration,” said Live Action spokesman Noah Brandt.“During Dr. Overton’s time at the America First Policy Institute, she helped lead important work exposing the dangers of chemical abortion and the serious risks posed by the abortion pill,” Brandt told EWTN News.“We pray that if Dr. Overton is confirmed that she brings that same courage and leadership to the FDA, which has an enormous responsibility to protect the health and safety of America’s women and children,” Brandt said.Brandt called on Overton to put a halt to chemical abortion pills entirely, beginning with mail-order abortions.“If confirmed, Dr. Overton should pull the deadly abortion pill from the market completely by first ending mail-order abortions, which are killing babies across the country,” he said.Kristi Hamrick, spokeswoman for Students for Life Action, called for Overton to take serious action against mifepristone.“It’s a good thing to have a nominee who has been skeptical of the kinds of policies the FDA has been pushing, but we are not looking for words; we are looking for deeds,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “The reckless rubber-stamping of chemical abortion pills has implications for babies in the womb, their mothers, and even the environment.”“We are looking for a first-ever review of chemical abortion pills, the abusers' dream drug, that is now being mailed illegally into many states with pro-life laws in place,” Hamrick said.Hamrick also urged Overton to investigate the environmental impact of chemical abortion drugs in the nation’s drinking water supplies.“The FDA has never looked into the environmental risks of allowing abortion water pollution nationwide, and you donʼt have to be pro-life to want clean drinking water,” Hamrick said.“We would ask Dr. Overton to do the work never done before — really evaluate mifepristone, its distribution, and risks to babies, women, and all life, endangered species included,” Hamrick said.

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Commissioner appointee Heidi Overton has criticized the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s chemical abortion policies in the past. She is now poised to be in a position to change them.

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