Government will conduct abortion pill review amid studies showing possible dangers
Food and Drug Administration sign at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock CNA Staff, Jun 3, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA). A top official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed on Monday that the organization will conduct a review of the abortion drug mifepristone following several recent studies challenging the safety of the drug.FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said he is “committed” to conducting the review in a June 2 letter addressed to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who has been an outspoken advocate for reviewing abortion pill safety regulations. “As with all drugs, FDA continues to closely monitor the post-marketing safety data on mifepristone for the medical termination of early pregnancy,” Makary wrote.Makary noted that he is “committed to conducting a review of mifepristone and working with the professional career scientists at the agency who review this data.” The letter follows a pledge by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., who said in a hearing last month that he had instructed Makary to do a “complete review” of the abortion pill following a report showing that more than 1 in 10 women experience adverse side effects from chemical abortions. The first-of-its-kind study, published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center on April 28, delved into public health insurance records, finding that about 11% of women suffer at least one “serious adverse event” within 45 days of taking mifepristone for an abortion.Of 865,727 patients between 2017 and 2023, the study found that more than 4.7% were forced to visit an emergency room related to the abortion, more than 3.3% suffered hemorrhaging, and more than 1.3% got an infection. Thousands were hospitalized, more than 1,000 needed blood transfusions, and hundreds suffered from sepsis. Nearly 2,000 had a different life-threatening adverse event.Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of American and Students for Life Action, celebrated the confirmation of the review, saying: “It’s in writing.” “Time to review, reinstate basic safety protocols to save women, and pull from the market to save hundreds of thousands of lives!” she said in a post on X.Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s Director of Legal Affairs and Policy Counsel Katie Glenn Daniel celebrated the confirmation, sharing her gratitude “for Sen. Hawley’s leadership to secure the FDA’s commitment to fully review the safety of abortion drugs.” “We’re encouraged to see the FDA reexamine the data under new leadership after the Biden administration recklessly fueled an unregulated drug market by stripping away in-person dispensing requirements,” Daniel told CNA. Daniel highlighted a recent peer-reviewed study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute that challenged the abortion industry’s claim that medication abortion is “safer than Tylenol.”“While the abortion industry and Democrat politicians push the debunked claim that these drugs are ‘safer than Tylenol,’ growing evidence shows they’re far more dangerous than advertised,” she said. The Charlotte Lozier Institute published its peer-reviewed article in the journal BioTech challenging the “heavily relied upon talking point” for the abortion industry that abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol.“Even in the corporate media, reports have surfaced of at least three women dying in recent years after drug-induced abortions,” Daniel added.A young woman from Georgia named Amber Thurman died at age 28 in 2022 after being hospitalized due to an infection after she took abortion pills. Tissue from her deceased babies — unborn twins — had remained in her uterus, causing an infection. When she went to the emergency room, the doctors failed to quickly operate on her, and she died.While some news outlets blamed the state’s protections for unborn children, doctors with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintained that side effects from the abortion pill and medical malpractice caused her death.Notably, all pro-life states permit abortions in life-threatening cases and allow doctors to treat women with pregnancy emergencies according to their medical judgment, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute. A chemical abortion takes place via a two-pill regimen. The first pill, mifepristone, kills an unborn child by blocking the hormone progesterone, cutting off the child’s supply of oxygen and nutrients. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken between 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone to induce contractions and expel the child’s body. Chemical abortions account for about half of the abortions in the United States every year. Progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, can be used to reverse the effects of mifepristone if taken soon after.“We know the abortion pill starves babies to death. We know 11% of women experience complications from the use of this pill,” Live Action said last week. “The question is how [is] this poison pill is still on the market?”
superadmin
Food and Drug Administration sign at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: JHVEPhoto/Shutterstock
CNA Staff, Jun 3, 2025 / 14:20 pm (CNA).
A top official at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirmed on Monday that the organization will conduct a review of the abortion drug mifepristone following several recent studies challenging the safety of the drug.
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said he is “committed” to conducting the review in a June 2 letter addressed to Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, who has been an outspoken advocate for reviewing abortion pill safety regulations.
“As with all drugs, FDA continues to closely monitor the post-marketing safety data on mifepristone for the medical termination of early pregnancy,” Makary wrote.
Makary noted that he is “committed to conducting a review of mifepristone and working with the professional career scientists at the agency who review this data.”
The letter follows a pledge by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy Jr., who said in a hearing last month that he had instructed Makary to do a “complete review” of the abortion pill following a report showing that more than 1 in 10 women experience adverse side effects from chemical abortions.
The first-of-its-kind study, published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center on April 28, delved into public health insurance records, finding that about 11% of women suffer at least one “serious adverse event” within 45 days of taking mifepristone for an abortion.
Of 865,727 patients between 2017 and 2023, the study found that more than 4.7% were forced to visit an emergency room related to the abortion, more than 3.3% suffered hemorrhaging, and more than 1.3% got an infection.
Thousands were hospitalized, more than 1,000 needed blood transfusions, and hundreds suffered from sepsis. Nearly 2,000 had a different life-threatening adverse event.
Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of American and Students for Life Action, celebrated the confirmation of the review, saying: “It’s in writing.”
“Time to review, reinstate basic safety protocols to save women, and pull from the market to save hundreds of thousands of lives!” she said in a post on X.
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s Director of Legal Affairs and Policy Counsel Katie Glenn Daniel celebrated the confirmation, sharing her gratitude “for Sen. Hawley’s leadership to secure the FDA’s commitment to fully review the safety of abortion drugs.”
“We’re encouraged to see the FDA reexamine the data under new leadership after the Biden administration recklessly fueled an unregulated drug market by stripping away in-person dispensing requirements,” Daniel told CNA.
Daniel highlighted a recent peer-reviewed study by the Charlotte Lozier Institute that challenged the abortion industry’s claim that medication abortion is “safer than Tylenol.”
“While the abortion industry and Democrat politicians push the debunked claim that these drugs are ‘safer than Tylenol,’ growing evidence shows they’re far more dangerous than advertised,” she said.
The Charlotte Lozier Institute published its peer-reviewed article in the journal BioTech challenging the “heavily relied upon talking point” for the abortion industry that abortion drugs are safer than Tylenol.
“Even in the corporate media, reports have surfaced of at least three women dying in recent years after drug-induced abortions,” Daniel added.
A young woman from Georgia named Amber Thurman died at age 28 in 2022 after being hospitalized due to an infection after she took abortion pills. Tissue from her deceased babies — unborn twins — had remained in her uterus, causing an infection. When she went to the emergency room, the doctors failed to quickly operate on her, and she died.
While some news outlets blamed the state’s protections for unborn children, doctors with the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists maintained that side effects from the abortion pill and medical malpractice caused her death.
Notably, all pro-life states permit abortions in life-threatening cases and allow doctors to treat women with pregnancy emergencies according to their medical judgment, according to the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
A chemical abortion takes place via a two-pill regimen. The first pill, mifepristone, kills an unborn child by blocking the hormone progesterone, cutting off the child’s supply of oxygen and nutrients. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken between 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone to induce contractions and expel the child’s body.
Chemical abortions account for about half of the abortions in the United States every year. Progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, can be used to reverse the effects of mifepristone if taken soon after.
“We know the abortion pill starves babies to death. We know 11% of women experience complications from the use of this pill,” Live Action said last week. “The question is how [is] this poison pill is still on the market?”
