SCOOP: Members of Congress Told Abortion Pill Safety Review Possible by September

A few members of Congress were told to expect the Food and Drug Administration’s safety review of the abortion pill to be completed by September, a lawmaker who asked to remain anonymous told the Daily Signal.

Pro-life members on the House Appropriations Committee earlier this month considered a provision in a bill funding the Agriculture Department and FDA that would nullify a Biden-era rule allowing the abortion pill to be dispensed in the mail. However, they decided to instead wait for the FDA to release the safety review report.

If the FDA finds that the abortion pill is unsafe, according to its review of data, it could then update its program for high-risk drugs, the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy, to restore the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone.

In April 2021, the Biden administration’s FDA stopped requiring that abortion pills be dispensed to women in person, allowing them to be prescribed at telehealth appointments and shipped through the mail.

The Wall Street Journal reported June 4 that the FDA’s study had officially launched after moving through the data collection phase.

An Ethics & Public Policy Center study found that about 11% of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious adverse event within 45 days following a chemical abortion. This has led to pro-life calls to reinstate the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone.

Seven out of 10 American voters say they don’t think it’s safe for abortion drugs to be sent via mail, according to a McLaughlin & Associates poll.

The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to the Daily Signal’s request for comment.