US Catholic Bishops Launch National Prayer Campaign Against Abortion Pills

On July 27, 2026, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Bishop Daniel E. Thomas of Toledo, chair of the USCCB Committee on Pro‑Life Activities, issued a joint letter calling for a nationwide period of prayer and action through the end of October, designated Respect Life Month. The bishops warned that “every abortion involves the death of a child and harm to the mother,” and pointed to a rise in the national abortion rate, citing Guttmacher Institute data that 1.12 million abortions occurred in 2025 – a 21 % increase since 2020. They attributed part of this rise to easier access to the abortion‑inducing drug mifepristone, which is distributed by mail under a federal policy first adopted by the Biden administration and retained by the current Trump administration while a pending FDA safety review remains unclear. The bishops urged Catholics to pray to St. Joseph, the Defender of Life, and to send messages to pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies to halt the spread of abortion pills.

The statement reflects ongoing concerns about the impact of telehealth‑prescribed abortion medication on women’s health and on the legal landscape governing abortion in the United States.