“We urge you to take decisive action,” the letter reads, just weeks after the FDA approved an additional generic version of the drug.
U.S. Senator Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) joined 50 fellow senators in urging top federal health officials to rescind the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone. The senators are calling for an immediate suspension of the drug’s distribution and a full reevaluation of its safety and regulatory process.
The letter, addressed to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary, was delivered on Oct. 9 and warns that unrestricted access to abortion drugs is both a threat to women’s health and a direct violation of state-level pro-life protections.
“We commend your recent statements acknowledging the data discrepancies surrounding abortion pill safety and your commitment to reviewing the science,” the senators wrote. “Out of respect for this important review, and with full confidence in your dedication to protecting women’s health, states’ rights, and unborn life, we urge you to take decisive action to reevaluate whether this generic version of mifepristone is suitable to enter the market.”
Sen. McCormick’s leadership on the issue signals a strong affirmation of his commitment to pro-life values. A first-term senator and combat veteran, McCormick has consistently voiced support for measures that prioritize the sanctity of life in the post-Roe era.
At the heart of the senators’ concerns is mifepristone—a drug first approved by the FDA in 2000 and now used in over 60% of abortions nationwide. With the Biden-era FDA rolling back in-person dispensing rules during the Covid-19 pandemic and allowing widespread distribution by mail and telehealth, Republicans argue that the safeguards once designed to protect women have all but vanished.
“Under current FDA regulations, these drugs can be obtained via mail order without meaningful consultation with a medical professional and without any confirmation of who is purchasing them or for what purpose,” the letter explains.
That regulatory vacuum, the senators argue, is undermining pro-life laws in states that have moved to protect life since the fall of Roe v. Wade. Thousands of abortion pills are reportedly shipped each month into states with pro-life laws, weakening state sovereignty and creating what the senators call an “imminent hazard” to public health.
The FDA’s recent decision to greenlight a new generic version of mifepristone has only intensified these concerns. While abortion activists claim the drug is safe, pro-life lawmakers and medical professionals have long raised alarms about its complications, which include hemorrhaging, infection, and even death.
The senators urge the Trump administration’s FDA to halt distribution of the drug, suspend all additional mifepristone approvals during the safety review, and reinstate the requirement for in-person prescribing. Notably, RFK Jr. recently indicated that the FDA would initiate a review of the existing safety protocols in place for mifepristone.
“The ‘abortion-on-demand’ culture enabled by the Biden-Harris administration’s removal of critical safeguards on the only FDA-approved abortion regimen is currently the biggest threat to unborn life in America today,” the letter states.
Only Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) declined to sign the letter.
