US legislative efforts regarding mifepristone

In late September 2026, Senator Josh Hawley introduced the ‘Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act,’ calling for a congressional ban on the abortion medication mifepristone. Hawley argued the drug is unsafe for both mothers and fetuses, claiming that more than one in ten women require emergency room visits for life-threatening conditions due to the medication.

By mid-October, Republican lawmakers, including Representative Chip Roy and Senator Hawley, began demanding updates from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding an ongoing safety study of the drug. Concerns were raised after an FDA filing suggested findings might not be published until March 2027. Roy noted he had previously withdrawn an amendment to prohibit federal abortion funding based on the expectation of a sooner completion date. Hawley has further questioned the scope of the research, specifically whether the data used to evaluate the impact of 2023 regulatory changes—which allowed the drug to be dispensed without an in-person visit—is sufficiently complete.