Center for Reproductive Rights says Hawley and other lawmakers are trying to ban mifepristone despite its safety record
Center for Reproductive RightsLegal advocacy organization, in its U.S. Repro Watch news update
In its U.S. Repro Watch update of March 24, 2026, the Center for Reproductive Rights said federal lawmakers, including Sen. Josh Hawley, are attempting to ban mifepristone and are urging the FDA to rescind its approval despite the drug's decades-long safety record.
“Federal lawmakers are attempting to ban mifepristone. Republican Senator Josh Hawley and other lawmakers are urging the FDA to rescind its approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, despite its decades-long safety record.”
Original text
Official statement
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
Original text
About this source
News update published on the Center for Reproductive Rights website.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Official statement
About this source
Hawley's own announcement of the bill, issued alongside a Capitol Hill press conference with anti-abortion movement leaders. It states the bill's three operative provisions and carries the quotation on which his safety claim rests.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Hawley introduced the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act on March 11, 2026. His office said the bill would withdraw the FDA's approval of mifepristone for abortion.
After the quotation
The same item says the Trump administration is also conducting its own safety review of mifepristone, which the Center calls politically motivated.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case's reference point is Hawley's proposal that Congress ban mifepristone by revoking its federal approval. The Center describes Hawley and other lawmakers as attempting to ban the drug despite its decades-long safety record, which criticizes the proposal on safety grounds, so we labeled it Condemned.
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The Dispute Index. "Center for Reproductive Rights says Hawley and other lawmakers are trying to ban mifepristone despite its safety record". First published: 2026-09-30. Last updated: 2026-09-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/3390-in-its-u-s-repro-watch-update-of