Show-Me State Times

U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reconsider its stance on mifepristone, a chemical abortion drug, following a report highlighting significant health risks associated with its use. The senator's opinion piece emphasizes the need for FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to reinstate safety regulations that were previously relaxed.

Hawley's call comes after a report by the Ethics and Public Policy Center examined over 865,000 cases of mifepristone prescriptions from 2017 to 2023. According to the findings, nearly 11% of women who took the drug experienced severe adverse health events such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging—issues that could necessitate emergency medical care.

The report suggests that these adverse event rates are substantially higher than those documented on the FDA-approved drug label, which relies on older clinical trial data. This discrepancy has led Hawley to argue for immediate reinstatement of previous safety measures.

Initially implemented during the Clinton administration, these measures included physician-only prescriptions and mandatory follow-up visits. Over time, however, these requirements have been reduced or removed by subsequent administrations. Under President Biden's administration, in-person checkups were eliminated entirely.

Senator Hawley contends that reinstating these regulations is crucial for safeguarding public health. He advocates for legislative action to ensure these rules become permanent fixtures in federal law.

"Now is the time to set the record straight and protect the lives of millions of Americans," Hawley stated in his op-ed.