EWTN News portal reports: Pro-life groups praised FDA Commissioner Marty Makary’s resignation on May 12, 2026, while raising concerns that the acting replacement once represented a Planned Parenthood affiliate in court. The article states that Makary “drew the ire of the pro-life community throughout his tenure for inaction to reimpose regulations on the abortion pill mifepristone,” and that pro-life advocates hope President Trump will nominate someone to “further regulate” the drug. The article presents the controversy through the lens of political advocacy, treating the mass killing of innocent children through chemical abortion as a matter of regulatory policy and political appointment rather than the grave moral evil and intrinsic crime against God’s Law that it is. This article, while framed as “pro-life” reporting, reveals the profound spiritual bankruptcy of a movement that has largely capitulated to the legal and cultural framework of the Culture of Death, seeking merely to “regulate” rather than utterly condemn and abolish the intrinsic evil of abortion.
The Illusion of “Pro-Life” Advocacy Within a Secular Framework
The article presents a political narrative centered on the resignation of FDA Commissioner Marty Makary and the subsequent elevation of Kyle Diamantas as acting commissioner. The primary concern expressed by the “pro-life” advocates quoted is not the intrinsic evil of abortion or the salvation of souls, but rather the regulatory stance of a secular government agency. This framing reveals a fundamental capitulation to the modernist and secularist mentality that treats the killing of the unborn as a matter of public health policy rather than a grave crime against the Natural Law and the Divine Law.
Kristan Hawkins of Students for Life stated: “The new FDA commissioner must be 100% committed to protecting innocent children in the womb AND their mothers.” While the protection of innocent life is a moral imperative, the language used here is steeped in secular humanism. The focus is on “protection” as defined by the state, rather than the absolute prohibition demanded by Catholic moral theology. Lila Rose of Live Action claimed: “The abortion pill has killed over 7 million preborn American children and harmed countless mothers.” While the number is a stark reminder of the scale of the slaughter, the concern is presented as a political talking point rather than a call for repentance and the conversion of a nation.
The Compromise with Secular Authority
The article highlights the tension between “pro-life” advocates and the Trump administration. Senator Bill Cassidy stated that Makary’s tenure was “part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues.” This statement exposes the fatal flaw of the “pro-life” movement as it exists today: it seeks to achieve moral ends through secular political means, inevitably compromising with the very system that legalized the slaughter in the first place.
The Catholic Church teaches that the state has a duty to recognize the true religion and to enact laws in accordance with the Natural Law. Pope Pius XI, in the encyclical *Quas Primas*, declared: “The state is happy not by one means, and man by another; for the state is nothing else than a harmonious association of men.” Furthermore, he stated: “When God and Jesus Christ… were removed from laws and states and when authority was derived not from God but from men, the foundations of that authority were destroyed.” The “pro-life” movement’s reliance on the FDA and the President to “regulate” abortion is a direct consequence of the laicization of society condemned by the Church. Instead of demanding that the state recognize its subjection to Christ the King and outlaw abortion entirely, they seek to manage the killing through bureaucratic channels.
The Silence on the Intrinsic Evil of Abortion
The article is saturated with the language of secular political advocacy: “regulations,” “lawsuit,” “deregulation,” “safety risks,” and “patient safety.” There is no mention of the intrinsic evil of abortion as taught by the Church. There is no reference to the teaching of the Council of Trent that those who procure abortion are subject to excommunication. There is no mention of the duty of Catholics to work for the complete abolition of abortion, not merely its restriction.
The focus on “coercion” and “misuse” of the abortion pill, as mentioned by Sarah Zagorski of Americans United for Life, shifts the moral focus from the act of killing itself to the circumstances surrounding it. While coercion is an evil, the primary evil is the deliberate taking of innocent human life. By focusing on secondary issues, the “pro-life” movement implicitly accepts the premise that if the abortion is “safe” and “uncoerced,” it is less objectionable. This is a betrayal of the unchanging Catholic doctrine that “the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258, echoing the constant teaching of the Church).
The Failure to Recognize the Source of the Crisis
The article treats the abortion crisis as a political problem to be solved by appointing the right people to government positions. It fails to recognize that the legalization of abortion is a direct consequence of the apostasy of the nations and the rejection of Christ the King. As Pope Leo XIII taught in *Immortale Dei*, the state must recognize the divine origin of its authority and govern in accordance with God’s law. The “pro-life” movement’s failure to call for the public recognition of Christ’s kingship and the submission of the state to the Church is a fundamental omission that renders its efforts futile.
The resignation of Makary and the appointment of Diamantas are presented as opportunities for political maneuvering. Yet, as long as the secular state remains the arbiter of moral law, the killing will continue. The Church teaches that “the authority of the state is not absolute, but is limited by the Natural Law and the Divine Law.” The “pro-life” movement’s accommodation to the secular framework is a symptom of the very disease it claims to fight.
The Illusion of “Pro-Life” Victory
The article concludes with a statement from Senator Cassidy: “I care deeply about life, and I anticipate the next FDA nominee shall as well.” This statement is a tragic example of the triumph of hope over reality. The expectation that a secular government official will “care deeply about life” while serving a system that legalizes the slaughter of the innocent is a delusion. The history of the “pro-life” movement is a history of compromise and defeat, precisely because it has refused to challenge the secularist premise that the state has the authority to permit the killing of the unborn.
The true solution to the abortion crisis is not the appointment of a new FDA commissioner, but the conversion of the nation to the Catholic Faith and the recognition of Christ the King as the supreme authority over all individuals and states. Until that happens, all political efforts will be like building a house on sand. As Our Lord warned: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). A nation that permits the killing of its own children is a nation divided against itself, and no amount of political maneuvering can save it from the consequences of its apostasy.
The Complicity of the “Pro-Life” Movement in the Culture of Death
The “pro-life” movement, as represented in this article, is not a movement for the restoration of Catholic civilization, but a pressure group seeking to influence the policies of a secular state. Its language, its goals, and its methods are all derived from the very modernist and secularist philosophy that gave rise to the abortion crisis. By accepting the legitimacy of the secular state and working within its structures, the “pro-life” movement has become an accomplice in the Culture of Death.
The Church teaches that “the state is bound to protect the innocent and to punish the guilty.” The “pro-life” movement’s failure to demand the total abolition of abortion and its acceptance of “regulatory” measures is a betrayal of the innocent lives it claims to protect. The resignation of Makary is not a victory, but a reminder of the bankruptcy of a movement that has lost sight of the true source of life and the true meaning of justice.
In conclusion, the article exposes the profound spiritual and theological confusion of the contemporary “pro-life” movement. While it correctly identifies the evil of abortion, it fails to recognize the root cause of that evil: the rejection of Christ the King and the apostasy of the nations. Until the “pro-life” movement returns to the unchanging teachings of the Catholic Church and demands the submission of the state to the Divine Law, its efforts will continue to be in vain. The only true hope for the unborn is the restoration of the Social Reign of Christ the King, for “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Source:
Pro-life groups praise FDA commissioner’s exit, flag acting leader’s Planned Parenthood role (ewtnnews.com)
Date: 12.05.2026