Representatives Chris Smith (R-N.J.) and Diana Hershberger (R-Tenn.) have spearheaded a letter with the support of 175 House Republicans. They are calling on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to retract the Biden administration’s “mail-order abortion plan” and to examine potential safety concerns regarding abortion pills.
Back in 2021, under former President Biden, the FDA relaxed regulations on the in-person dispensing of abortion pills, allowing them to be mailed. This change, along with protective laws in Democratic-controlled states, enabled providers to mail abortion pills to Republican states where such practices are restricted. In a recent letter, Republicans urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty McCulley to reverse this policy, especially after the FDA approved a generic version of mifepristone in September, which is the first medication in a two-drug abortion regimen. They referenced a study from April indicating that complications from these pills may be 22 times higher than previously reported.
In their letter, lawmakers stated, “As members of Congress who share the President’s vision to protect lives, the health and well-being of American families, and ensure that federal agencies act responsibly, we respectfully urge you to thoroughly investigate the harmful and significantly underreported effects of mifepristone on women and take decisive actions to safeguard them.”
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They further requested that at the very least, the requirement for in-person dispensing of mifepristone be reinstated.
Lawmakers criticized the Biden administration for creating what they described as a “no-contact, mail-in abortion program.”
The letter goes on to say that urgent investigation into the drug is warranted, especially in light of the mentioned actions that removed crucial protections surrounding abortion medications and the FDA’s recent approval of a generic option. Lawmakers noted that while the previous administration justified these changes as responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, they argue that COVID-19 was merely a pretext for radical pro-abortion policies that continue to disrupt lives across the nation.
In supporting their position, lawmakers referenced findings from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC), which indicated that over 10% of women who had mifepristone abortions faced serious complications such as sepsis or severe bleeding within 45 days post-abortion. This rate is substantially higher than the below 0.5% documented during the clinical trials of FDA-approved drug labels, based on data from a comprehensive insurance claims database covering over 865,000 prescribed mifepristone abortions from 2017 to 2023.
This study prompted the FDA and HHS to start safety reviews regarding abortion pills, with both agencies confirming these reviews are still in progress.
Moreover, the lawmakers pointed out that women have been vocal about their negative experiences with mifepristone, sharing accounts of coercion and abuse surrounding the use of the abortion pill.
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“Biden’s problematic mail-order plan seems to empower abortion advocates to send medical supplies across state lines, including to areas with pro-life legislation protecting mothers and their unborn children,” they asserted. “These drugs are distributed without medical supervision and not under proper screening, which raises concerns about the potential for women to be harmed without their knowledge or forced into taking abortion pills. This suggests that extremist pro-abortion activists prioritize access to abortion over the health and safety of women.”
In 2023, around 63% of U.S. abortions within the formal healthcare system were medical abortions, which translates to approximately 642,700 fetuses lost due to medical abortions, as reported by the Guttmacher Institute. This figure represents an increase from an estimated 53% in 2020 and 39% in 2017, not accounting for abortions facilitated informally.
In terms of medical abortion, mifepristone works by blocking progesterone, a hormone essential for sustaining pregnancy. When this hormone is inhibited, the uterine lining deteriorates, preventing the flow of essential nutrients and blood to the developing fetus, ultimately resulting in its demise inside the womb. Following this, another medication, misoprostol, induces contractions and bleeding to expel the fetus.
“Currently, abortion pills are responsible for almost two-thirds of all abortions in the United States, with more than 600,000 abortions performed annually using these drugs. The problematic mail-order abortion policy spearheaded by the Biden administration is a contributing factor. Abortion providers appear to be reaping increased profits while women and their fetuses endure life-altering consequences,” asserted the lawmakers.
“With your guidance, HHS and FDA can rectify this issue. We implore you to swiftly reinstate the REMS that mandate in-person dispensing of mifepristone and accelerate the FDA’s promised review of the dangers posed by abortion pills,” they concluded.
This letter from House Republicans follows a recent initiative where 51 Republican senators also reached out to FDA and HHS, urging them to hasten their review of mifepristone, revoke the approval of its generic variants, and withdraw the Biden administration’s sanction of mail-order abortions.
