Hawley unveils the "Declaration for Life" and asks candidates to commit to banning the abortion drug
Josh HawleyUnited States Senator for Missouri, at the first Missouri Prayer Breakfast in the Russell Senate Office Building and in a subsequent official press release
Six months after his bill stalled in committee, Hawley unveiled a four-page "Declaration for Life" drafted by more than 30 pastors, which calls on Congress to ban mifepristone on the grounds that state abortion restrictions cannot stop the drug being mailed across state lines. He said he would ask officeholders and candidates in both parties to sign it as a commitment to end chemical abortion, and renewed his request for a vote on his legislation.
“This Declaration for Life, written by pastors, is calling on everyday Christians across America to stand for life and confront the scourge of chemical abortion.”
Official statement
Reporting
Other statements by Josh Hawley in this case
- Josh Hawley supports Hawley's mifepristone banEarlier: Defended or excused
- Hawley rejects the idea that the timing of his mifepristone ban is about the midtermsEarlier: Defended or excused
- Hawley urges FDA action on abortion-drug availabilityLater: Defended or excused
Where this statement fits
Should Congress ban the abortion pill, mifepristone, as Josh Hawley has proposed?
On March 11, 2026, Senator Josh Hawley introduced the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, which would withdraw the Food and Drug Administration's approval of mifepristone for pregnancy termination, make distributing and labeling the drug for that purpose violations of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and let women who say chemical abortion harmed them sue its manufacturers. Mifepristone has been approved in the United States since 2000 and is used in a large majority of American abortions. Hawley argues a national ban is the only remedy because the drug can be mailed into states whose own laws restrict abortion. The bill drew seven Republican cosponsors but has not moved out of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. On September 16, 2026, Hawley unveiled a four-page "Declaration for Life" and began asking officeholders and candidates to sign it as a commitment to ban the drug. The dispute is over whether Congress should enact that ban.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
The primary record of the Declaration for Life, the pledge Hawley is asking officeholders and candidates to sign. The declaration states that the abortion drug is "nearly always fatal to the unborn child and frequently injurious to the mother," that mifepristone "can now be mailed into every state and city in America, regardless of local rules," and calls on Congress "to ban the chemical abortion drug mifepristone."
Reporting
About this source
Contemporaneous reporting on the September 16 event, naming Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and the Christian musician Sean Feucht as joining Hawley at the unveiling, and recording Hawley's request that candidates in both parties sign the pledge. The same quotations appear in the syndicated version carried by Yahoo News.
Before the quotation
S. 4066 had drawn no new cosponsor since June 23 and had received no committee action. Reporting at the time noted the bill had not been much discussed within the Senate Republican conference.
After the quotation
Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council said anti-abortion groups would circulate the declaration as a standard for candidates. The pledge is modelled on the Taxpayer Protection Pledge used to bind Republicans against tax increases.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Here he not only restates the proposition but attaches a loyalty mechanism to it, asking candidates to pledge support for the ban. The closest competing label is “Mixed or conditional”, because the statement is addressed to Christians and churches rather than to legislators and could be read as a cultural appeal rather than a legislative demand. That loses because the declaration's own operative request is that Congress ban the drug, and Hawley paired the unveiling with a renewed call for a vote on his bill.
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More from this case
Read the full caseGenBioPro declines to comment on Hawley's bill to ban mifepristone
GenBioPro
“At this time, the company prefers not to comment.”Read statement
Tony Perkins says the Republican Party has "lost its voice" on abortion and credits Hawley with filling the vacuum
“Unfortunately the Republican Party has lost its voice on the life issue and in that vacuum there are leaders that are stepping forward like Sen. Hawley calling upon the church, communities and the country to step up on behalf of the unborn.”Read statement
USCCB pro-life committee urges Congress to pass the mifepristone ban bill
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops
“In withdrawing FDA approval of mifepristone for abortion, prohibiting its being labeled for abortion, and ensuring a private right of action against manufacturers, the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, would likely save lives by curtailing the incidence of chemical abortion itself and all of its associated risks to the mothers as well. We are very grateful for your leadership in addressing this serious moral issue, and we urge your colleagues in both the House and Senate to support and pass this bill.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Hawley unveils the "Declaration for Life" and asks candidates to commit to banning the abortion drug". First published: 2026-09-18. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1031-six-months-after-his-bill-stalled-in-committee