The American College of Pediatricians, which is not a school, is joined by three other conservative medical groups and four physicians in pursuing the ban on mifepristone. A US federal appeals court hearing the case in New Orleans will convene later this month to hear arguments on whether to reverse or uphold a district court ruling that imposed a nationwide stay of the Federal Drug Administration’s (FDA) approval of mifepristone in April, effectively blocking access to the drug.
A statement to members from Simons calling the incident a “hate crime” originally printed by the Daily Signal has been removed without explanation.
Board meeting minutes dated as far back as 2014 raise questions about the group's candor in its public portrayals of its work and the means by which it arrives at seemingly medical-based recommendations. The group has claimed on its website not to “inquire about or use an individual's religious or political identification as criteria for membership,” a statement aimed at assuaging concerns that its recommendations aren’t backed purely by medical science. Documents reviewed by WIRED, however, show the group views “mainstream medicine, psychology, [and] academia” as top threats to its mission.