{"id":302501,"date":"2025-06-20T08:34:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T08:34:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/american-history\/the-catholic-roots-of-mifepristone-disinformation-nursing-clio\/"},"modified":"2025-06-20T08:34:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-20T08:34:41","slug":"the-catholic-roots-of-mifepristone-disinformation-nursing-clio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501","title":{"rendered":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<h3 class=\"blog-title\">\u2018Scientifically Laughable\u2019: The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation<\/h3>\n<div class=\"m-post-byline-with-avatar\" style=\"display:flex; align-items:center; flex-wrap:wrap; white-space:preserve\">\n<style><![CDATA[.m-post-avatars{ display: flex; margin-right: 10px; }.m-post-avatar{ border-radius: 100%; z-index: 1; }.m-post-avatar img { margin: 0 !important; border-radius: 100% }.m-post-avatar:not(:first-of-type){ margin-left: -7px }.m-post-avatar:nth-child(1){ z-index:1}]]><\/style>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"m-post-avatars\">\n<div class=\"m-post-avatar\" data-author-id=\"620\" data-author-type=\"user\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a026c32873c97397c6f27893ea50e63abd86b207c33eecdc1022e09e8a7e6be?s=36&amp;d=blank&amp;r=pg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a026c32873c97397c6f27893ea50e63abd86b207c33eecdc1022e09e8a7e6be?s=72&amp;d=blank&amp;r=pg 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-36 photo\" height=\"36\" width=\"36\" itemprop=\"image\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr\/>\n<p><i><a href=\"https:\/\/nursingclio.org\/2025\/05\/21\/introducing-nursing-clio-emergency-response-a-new-series\/\">Nursing Clio E.R.<\/a> is a special series dedicated to addressing breaking news related to the problematic health policies and public health crises of 2025. We are actively accepting pitches for short essays responding to current events with historical context. <a href=\"https:\/\/nursingclio.org\/write-for-us\/pitch-nursing-clio\/\">Submit now.<\/a><\/i><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p>When addressing a gathering of Catholic physicians in 1910, Boston Archbishop William Henry O\u2019Connell issued a warning against the spread of pseudoscience that \u201cruns perpetually to extremes.\u201d<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-0\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-0\">[1]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> O\u2019Connell believed Catholic doctors, then organizing local physicians\u2019 guilds, provided the morality missing from secular medicine\u2019s \u201cunscientific materialism\u201d \u2013 without rejecting science outright.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-1\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-1\">[2]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> More than a century later, the growing traction of <a href=\"https:\/\/eppc.org\/news\/largest-ever-study-of-abortion-pill-reveals-shocking-number-of-adverse-events\/\">a self-published paper<\/a> from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) challenging the safety of mifepristone reveals how Catholic institutions are not only legitimizing the ideologically motivated pseudoscience O\u2019Connell once warned against, but also generating disinformation in the process.<\/p>\n<p>Touted as the most extensive study on \u201cchemical abortion,\u201d the EPPC paper, published in April, reported that serious adverse events following a mifepristone-induced abortion are twenty-two times higher than rates seen in hundreds of peer-reviewed clinical studies and the FDA\u2019s consistent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/media\/185245\/download\">post-market surveillance<\/a>.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-2\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-2\">[3]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> Medical experts have criticized the EPPC paper for its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.guttmacher.org\/article\/2025\/06\/misinformation-campaign-trying-bring-down-abortion-pills\">\u201cshoddy science,\u201d<\/a> flawed dataset, and lack of peer review. In response, <a href=\"https:\/\/eppc.org\/publication\/fact-sheet-excluded-adverse-events-in-real-world-study-of-mifepristone\/\">EPPC researchers claimed<\/a> they\u2019re disrupting a \u201cterribly biased\u201d peer-review process that doesn\u2019t allow for anti-abortion viewpoints, including \u201csubstantive critiques of the abortion pill or abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Although EPPC doesn\u2019t have a religious affiliation, the conservative think tank has ties to Catholic ethicists who consult politicians and other government officials on Catholic social doctrine.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-3\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-3\">[4]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> With its new paper, EPPC builds upon the most recent campaign against mifepristone, using pseudoscientific methods to influence public health policy. For example, in November 2022 the anti-abortion medical coalition Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine filed a federal lawsuit against the FDA seeking to block access to mifepristone and reverse its FDA approval. The Catholic Medical Association (CMA) \u2013 the modern iteration of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians\u2019 Guilds (NFCPG) \u2013 is a founding member of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine and a key player behind this federal lawsuit, which the Supreme Court dismissed in 2024 for lack of standing.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-4\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-4\">[5]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Despite criticism from the mainstream medical community, members of the Trump administration have rushed to validate the EPPC\u2019s findings, with U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advising the FDA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/fda-review-mifepristone-abortion-pill-access\/\">to open a review of mifepristone<\/a>. Now, the CMA is citing the paper in its own<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cathmed.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Telemedicine-Chemical-Abortion_A-Catholic-Medical-Association-Policy-with-Recommendations.pdf\"> policy recommendation paper<\/a> against telemedicine abortion. The paper\u2019s authors <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cathmed.org\/the-pulse\/cma-releases-policy-recommendation-regarding-telemedicine-chemical-abortion\/\">claim the EPPC research is solid evidence<\/a> that removing \u201ccommon-sense\u201d FDA regulations around mifepristone \u201cplaces convenience and abortion-promoting ideology above patient health and well-being.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35259\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35259\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-35259 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. waves at supporters at a rally.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?resize=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1 723w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?resize=405%2C270&amp;ssl=1 405w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/RFK-Jr-2024.jpg?w=799&amp;ssl=1 799w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35259\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at an Arizona for Trump rally in 2024. Kennedy has advised the FDA to review the safety of mifepristone. (Courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/gageskidmore\/53953048024\/in\/photolist-2qcDttW-2qcBMem-2qcBMi4-2qcxcHx-2qcBMhN-2qcD6r3-2qcD6iN-2qcE7DP-2qcxcRi-2qcE7Cr-2qcDtrw-2ppdKZG-2ppdKZS-2pp8c5H-4FSbYd-2ppf99m-2ppcXRC-b3gLuP-2qcDtwG-2qcE7AY-2qcDttF-2qcE7As-2qcxcT7-2qcxcXa-2qcDttk-2qcD6q1-2qcD6ox-2qcDtwg-2qcBMk3-2qcDtst-2qcxcXA-2qcxcW8-bUd9QU-a1b8wz-a1dZzh-a1dZAq-2oQ8msU-2oVtrFw-2oVuvRz-2oVtrEu-2oVtrEj-2oVpnDK-2oVuvx3-2oVpnAi-2oVuvVx-2oVpnAy-2oVtrEE-2oVuvUL-2oVpnDj-2oVtrJ7\">Gage Skidmore<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This rhetoric from the CMA and EPPC reveals how longstanding tensions between Catholic and secular medicine influenced Catholic physicians to medicalize their opposition through the language of public health and safety. When the National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guilds\u2019 formed in 1932, it foregrounded Catholic moral theology in its approach to medical ethics. However, Catholic physicians didn\u2019t necessarily seek to separate themselves from the mainstream medical establishment. If anything, the NFCPG may have wanted to insert itself within the mainstream medical establishment.<\/p>\n<p>Physicians were largely opposed to performing abortions throughout the first half of the 20th century, but the tide turned around 1970 when, after several years of debate, the American Medical Association (AMA) approved a resolution to repeal state-level abortion bans.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-5\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-5\">[6]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> Members of the National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guilds led the opposition at an AMA Board of Trustees committee meeting. Catholic doctors positioned themselves not as outsiders to the medical community, but as defenders of the medical profession and women. Abortion, these doctors testified, was a quick fix for the nation\u2019s \u201csocial ills,\u201d a \u201cmanic simplistic solution of the New Left,\u201d and even a \u201cblood bath\u201d for American women.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-6\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-6\">[7]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Abortion and emergency contraceptives became moving targets for Catholic medicine in the 1970s. What\u2019s often overlooked in this complicated religious medical history is how some NFCPG members weren\u2019t entirely unified on reproductive health measures; members even sounded the alarm against promoting flawed science before it turned into disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, the now-discontinued diethylstilbestrol (DES) \u2013 a synthetic estrogen used as an off-label emergency contraceptive in the 1970s \u2013 serves as a precursor to the mifepristone debates.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-7\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-7\">[8]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> An ongoing dialogue in CMA\/NFCPG\u2019s flagship journal, <em>The Linacre Quarterly,<\/em> over the controversial drug tested the boundaries of a physician\u2019s moral responsibility and a patient\u2019s spiritual autonomy. The Rev. Donald McCarthy, Ph.D., a Catholic priest, was a proponent of using DES as an emergency contraceptive, even though Catholic medical ethics generally considers it causing a direct abortion. McCarthy challenged his fellow doctors:<\/p>\n<p>Can a pro-life physician use DES, knowing there is a very slight risk of destroying a fertilized ovum, if his or her intention is to prevent fertilization and protect the rape victim from grave injustice?<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-8\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-8\">[9]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>For McCarthy, the answer was yes. And in spite of harsh criticism from his fellow Catholic doctors, McCarthy consulted with mainstream medical organizations to counter NFCPG on publishing a response to his article that promoted misleading science.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-9\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-9\">[10]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> McCarthy may have anticipated how both distorting scientific claims and ignoring moral grey areas would lead to disinformation.<\/p>\n<p>Ideological battles over mifepristone sparked a rise in disinformation during the 1990s, when mifepristone was on the verge of breaking through to the U.S. market. Yet biomedical researcher Lawrence F. Roberge warned in <em>The Linacre Quarterly<\/em> that abortion disinformation \u201cdoes no justice to pro-life advocates in the marketplace of ideas.\u201d<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-10\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-10\">[11]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_35258\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-35258\" style=\"width: 640px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-35258\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"A pair of hands holds a box of Mifeprex, the brand name for mifepristone.\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?resize=723%2C482&amp;ssl=1 723w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?resize=405%2C270&amp;ssl=1 405w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/nursingclio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/mifepristone.jpg?w=799&amp;ssl=1 799w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-35258\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In the 1990s, mifepristone was on the verge of breaking through to the U.S. market. (Courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/92599314@N00\/46193283361\">Robin Marty<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A myth circulated in anti-abortion circles that mifepristone was \u201clike\u201d DES, even though the two drugs are neither similar in molecular structure, biological function, nor primary uses. According to Roberge, this myth stemmed from the 1991 article \u201cRU-486 \u2013 A Chemical Time Bomb?\u201d disseminated by the National Right to Life Committee. The article featured science so flawed that <em>Chemical &amp; Engineering News<\/em> deemed it \u201cscientifically laughable.\u201d<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-11\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-11\">[12]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>No scientific evidence supported this comparison between DES and mifepristone. Still, by the late 1990s, an exasperated Roberge spent his time consulting a large anti-abortion organization preparing to file a legal petition against mifepristone on \u201cextinguishing\u201d this myth.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-12\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-12\">[13]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> \u201cThe more certain pro-life advocates spread this myth around,\u201d Roberge wrote, \u201cthe more others (especially those without a scientific background) will believe it!\u201d Worried that anti-abortion advocates would become \u201cNeo-Luddite in mentality,\u201d he encouraged the anti-abortion movement to \u201caccess scientific professionals to clearly understand these scientific and technological developments.\u201d<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-13\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-13\">[14]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Developments like mifepristone, even more so than DES, also threatened anti-abortion activism, which was losing favor with the general American public as violence against abortion providers surged during the late 1980s and 1990s. After anti-abortion activists murdered abortion provider Dr. David Gunn and attempted to assassinate Dr. George Tiller in 1993,<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-14\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-14\">[15]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> Catholic bioethicist G. Kevin Donovan asked in <em>The Linacre Quarterly<\/em>: Could the anti-abortion movement truly use \u201cstrength of arms\u201d to \u201cseize the moral high ground?\u201d<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-15\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-15\">[16]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup><\/p>\n<p>Donovan was certainly concerned about the anti-abortion movement losing focus of its pro-life ethics by embracing lethal violence. But he also signaled that mifepristone placed abortion politics \u201con shifting ground\u201d because of the possibility that abortion would one day be fully placed in the hands of patients.<sup><sup><a id=\"post-35251-footnote-ref-16\" href=\"#post-35251-footnote-16\">[17]<\/a><\/sup><\/sup> Like Archbishop O\u2019Connell, Donovan believed a strong moral framework would not just win the public abortion debate but strengthen the position of Catholic medicine. For Donovan, it was a strategy that also encouraged passive resistance in the face of injustice.<\/p>\n<p>Except these tactics used by the CMA and EPPC are <em>not<\/em> passive resistance. They are active strategies that have elevated \u201cscientifically laughable\u201d abortion disinformation from fringe claims to policy recommendations, shaping authority far beyond the exam room.<\/p>\n<section id=\"sources\">\n<h4>Notes<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-0\">\u201cWarns Catholics of Christian Science.\u201d <em>New York Times<\/em>. May 15, 1920, sec. A. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-0\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-1\">The first of these guilds formed in New York City, where Archbishop O\u2019Connell delivered this address in 1910. Inspired by leaders of the New York physicians\u2019 guild, O\u2019Connell brought the idea to Boston, forming the Boston Guild of Saint Luke. A third guild emerged in Philadelphia in 1911. See Jessica Martucci. \u201cReligion, Medicine, and Politics: Catholic Physicians\u2019 Guilds in America, 1909\u201332.\u201d <em>Bulletin of the History of Medicine<\/em> 92, no. 2 (Summer 2018), 289. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-1\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-2\">\u201cChemical abortion\u201d is an outdated term primarily used in anti-abortion materials. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-2\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-3\">EPPC also facilitates the<a href=\"https:\/\/eppc.org\/program\/catholic-womens-forum\/\"> Catholic Women\u2019s Forum<\/a>, which helps \u201cshape conversations in the Church and in the culture\u201d around gender, sexuality, and religious liberty. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-3\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-4\">Catholic Medical Association, email message to author, May 2023. In 1997, the National Federation of Catholic Physicians Guilds\u2019 restructured itself from a guild-centered organization to an organization of individual membership and changed the name from to Catholic Medical Association. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-4\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-5\">American Medical Association Clinical Convention minutes, p. 241, resolution No. 18: Therapeutic Abortion, 1969 and AMA House of Delegates Proceedings minutes, p. 337 \u2013 339, Report D of the Board of Trustees \u2013 Abortion, 1970. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-5\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-6\">Richard D. Lyons. \u201cCatholics Oppose Move for Repeal of All Legal Curbs,\u201d <em>New York Times<\/em>, June 23, 1970, 16. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-6\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-7\">Since the 1940s, DES has had many uses, including miscarriage prevention and postpartum lactation suppression. By 1971, the FDA advised against using DES during pregnancy due to cancer risk of people exposed to DES in utero. As an emergency contraceptive, DES remained under consideration of the FDA but never formally approved for widespread use. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-7\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-8\">Catholic Physicians\u2019 Guild. \u201cLetters to the Editor.\u201d <em>The Linacre Quarterly<\/em> 45, no. 1 (1978): Article 4. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-8\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-9\">Ibid. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-9\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-10\">Ibid. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-10\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-11\">Lawrence F. Roberge. \u201cScientific Disinformation, Abuse, and Neglect Within Pro-Life.\u201d <em>The Linacre Quarterly<\/em> 66, no. 1 (February 1999): 56 \u2013 57. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-11\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-12\">Ibid, 57. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-12\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-13\">Ibid, 62. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-13\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-14\">Tiller would later be assassinated in 2009. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-14\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-15\">G. Kevin Donovan. \u201cDoes Shooting Abortionists Reveal a Lack of Faith?\u201d <em>The Linacre Quarterly<\/em> Vol. 61, no. 1 (1994): 20. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-15\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<li id=\"post-35251-footnote-16\">Ibid. <a href=\"#post-35251-footnote-ref-16\">\u2191<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/section>\n<hr\/>\n<p>Featured image caption: Courtesy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pexels.com\/photo\/rosary-and-face-mask-on-top-of-a-bible-8674806\/\">RDNE Stock project<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- MOLONGUI AUTHORSHIP PLUGIN 5.1.0 --><br \/>\n<!-- https:\/\/www.molongui.com\/wordpress-plugin-post-authors --><\/p>\n<div class=\"m-a-box \" data-box-layout=\"slim\" data-box-position=\"below\" data-multiauthor=\"false\" data-author-id=\"620\" data-author-type=\"user\" data-author-archived=\"\">\n<div class=\"m-a-box-container\">\n<div class=\"m-a-box-tab m-a-box-content m-a-box-profile\" data-profile-layout=\"layout-1\" data-author-ref=\"user-620\" itemscope=\"\" itemid=\"https:\/\/nursingclio.org\/author\/lauren-barbato\/\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<div class=\"m-a-box-content-middle\">\n<div class=\"m-a-box-item m-a-box-avatar\" data-source=\"local\"><a class=\"m-a-box-avatar-url\" href=\"https:\/\/nursingclio.org\/author\/lauren-barbato\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a026c32873c97397c6f27893ea50e63abd86b207c33eecdc1022e09e8a7e6be?s=90&amp;d=blank&amp;r=pg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1a026c32873c97397c6f27893ea50e63abd86b207c33eecdc1022e09e8a7e6be?s=180&amp;d=blank&amp;r=pg 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-90 photo\" height=\"90\" width=\"90\" itemprop=\"image\"\/><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"m-a-box-item m-a-box-data\">\n<div class=\"m-a-box-bio\" itemprop=\"description\">\n<p>Lauren Barbato is a Ph.D. candidate in religion at Temple University and a professor in the Department of Women and Gender Studies at the University of Delaware. She has worked as a consulting writer for Catholics for Choice and has written for Religion Dispatches, Ms. magazine, Bustle, Conscience, and the Journal of Church and State, among others.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-border-color\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;margin-top:32px;margin-bottom:32px;padding-top:0px;padding-right:0px;padding-bottom:0px;padding-left:0px\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity is-style-wide\" style=\"margin-bottom:24px\"\/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" style=\"margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:10px\">Discover more from Nursing Clio<\/h3>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;font-size:15px\">Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u2018Scientifically Laughable\u2019: The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation Nursing Clio E.R. is a special series dedicated to addressing breaking news related to the problematic health policies and public health crises of 2025. We are actively accepting pitches for short essays responding to current events with historical context. Submit now. When addressing a gathering of Catholic [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":302502,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12032],"tags":[20705,15852,33239,134789,15851,26548],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-302501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-american-history","tag-catholic","tag-clio","tag-disinformation","tag-mifepristone","tag-nursing","tag-roots"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u2018Scientifically Laughable\u2019: The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation Nursing Clio E.R. is a special series dedicated to addressing breaking news related to the problematic health policies and public health crises of 2025. We are actively accepting pitches for short essays responding to current events with historical context. Submit now. When addressing a gathering of Catholic [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\"},\"headline\":\"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\"},\"wordCount\":1709,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Catholic\",\"Clio\",\"Disinformation\",\"Mifepristone\",\"Nursing\",\"Roots\"],\"articleSection\":[\"American History\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\",\"name\":\"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg\",\"width\":1080,\"height\":750},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"description\":\"Daily Deals\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Som2ny Network\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png\",\"width\":300,\"height\":86,\"caption\":\"Som2ny Network\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network","og_description":"\u2018Scientifically Laughable\u2019: The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation Nursing Clio E.R. is a special series dedicated to addressing breaking news related to the problematic health policies and public health crises of 2025. We are actively accepting pitches for short essays responding to current events with historical context. Submit now. When addressing a gathering of Catholic [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501","og_site_name":"Som2ny Network","article_published_time":"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1080,"height":750,"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371"},"headline":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio","datePublished":"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501"},"wordCount":1709,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg","keywords":["Catholic","Clio","Disinformation","Mifepristone","Nursing","Roots"],"articleSection":["American History"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501","name":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio - Som2ny Network","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-20T08:34:41+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/pexels-rdne-8674806.jpg","width":1080,"height":750},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=302501#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?bp_activities=1"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Catholic Roots of Mifepristone Disinformation \u2013 Nursing Clio"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","name":"Som2ny Network","description":"Daily Deals","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#organization","name":"Som2ny Network","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/4a0953c4-logo-300x86-1.png","width":300,"height":86,"caption":"Som2ny Network"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b85e3c3dc0e1daea076524dc8810c371","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/729ae85bf62b9917e93538db2f2688ca?s=96&r=g&default=https%3A%2F%2Ffivemor.com%2Fwp-content%2Fplugins%2Fbuddypress-first-letter-avatar%2Fimages%2Fdefault%2F96%2Flatin_a.png","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/fivemor.com"],"url":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=302501"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/302501\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/302502"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=302501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=302501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=302501"},{"taxonomy":"dealstore","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdealstore&post=302501"},{"taxonomy":"offerexpiration","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fofferexpiration&post=302501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}