Attorneys general from 22 states have sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), urging the reinstatement of previous safety measures for the abortion pill mifepristone. The letter cites a study by the Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) that analyzed insurance claims data from over 865,000 prescribed mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023.
According to EPPC’s findings, 10.93 percent of women who took mifepristone experienced serious adverse events such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging within 45 days of use. This rate is significantly higher than the 0.5 percent figure listed on the FDA label.
The attorneys general wrote, “Recent comprehensive studies of the real-world effects of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone report that serious adverse events occur 22 times more often than stated on the drug’s label, while the drug is less than half as effective as claimed. These facts directly contradict the drug’s primary marketing message of ‘safe’ and ‘effective.’”
They called for a return to safety regulations in place in 2011, which were removed during prior administrations. The letter continued: “Alternatively, in light of the serious risks to women who are presently being prescribed this drug without crucial safeguards, and in the event the FDA is unable to reinstate the 2011 safety protocols for mifepristone, the FDA should consider withdrawing mifepristone from the market until it completes its review and can decide on a course of action based on objective safety and efficacy criteria.”
EPPC President Ryan T. Anderson commented on these developments: “I’m thankful for the action of these attorneys general. Tragically, previous presidential administrations have watered down basic safety requirements for the abortion pill and American women have paid the price. We hope that the FDA will move swiftly to reinstate these safeguards and protect women.”
The attorneys general also questioned whether past changes made by federal agencies were motivated by factors other than patient safety: “The FDA’s removal of these crucial safety protocols in 2016 (and in 2023) that only five years before the FDA considered necessary begs the question of whether the removal was motivated by considerations other than the safety of patients … The current FDA’s dedication to the health and wellbeing of all Americans is encouraging, as is the much-needed review of mifepristone that Secretary Kennedy has promised,” concludes their letter.
