The federal government is taking actions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last June in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to make chemical abortions more widely available, even in pro-life states that have taken steps to limit or prohibit abortion.

Recent actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as well as the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) will expand the availability of the abortion drugs mifepristone and misoprostol and ensure that companies sending the drugs through the mail will not be blocked by an 1873 law making it illegal for the U.S. Postal Service to deliver anything “calculated to lead another to use or apply it for producing abortion.”

Previously, the FDA only allowed abortion pills to be dispensed by clinics, medical offices, and hospitals under the direct supervision of a licensed physician. On January 3, 2023, the FDA modified what it calls its “Mifepristone REMS Program” to expand the availability of mifepristone to retail pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens.

Mifepristone is the first in a two-pill chemical abortion regimen. Mifepristone blocks a hormone necessary for pregnancy development and is authorized by the FDA to be taken in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

The second drug in the chemical abortion regimen is misoprostol, which is taken 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone. It causes contractions that expel the baby from the womb.

A U.S. District Court judge denied a motion by a licensed counselor asking for a preliminary injunction against a Colorado law banning any help for minors struggling with homosexuality or transgenderism. The law only allows therapists to help children move toward embracing a homosexual or transgender identity.

If a five-year-old girl struggles with sexual identity confusion, her parents could not work with a licensed counselor to help her embrace her female body and feminine identity.

Likewise, if a 16-year-old boy wrestles with an addiction to homosexual pornography, he could not receive professional therapy to help embrace his God-given identity and move toward biblical sexual integrity.

Kaley Chiles, a licensed professional counselor, challenged the law, saying it violated her First Amendment rights. But Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney, who identifies as a lesbian, issued a decision denying Chiles’ request.

Sweeney said that “children who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, cisgender, transgender, or gender non-conforming” are “entitled to a state’s protection from therapeutic modalities that have been shown to cause longstanding psychological and physical damage.” This is a false statement, as there are no long-term studies of minors who receive professional help for same-sex attractions or sexual identity confusion. But there are many studies that show adults dealing with these issues have been helped by professional therapy — even if their feelings don’t change.