Earlier this month, Hawley introduced a bill titled the “Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act” that would ban the sale of mifepristone for use in abortions while still allowing it to be prescribed to treat Cushing’s syndrome, a rare disorder associated with high cortisol levels for prolonged periods of time.
GOP Sens. John Cornyn (Texas), Ted Budd (N.C.) and Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) have since put their support behind the bill.
Hawley urged Republican senators to support the bill in a “Dear Colleague,” warning that if Congress fails to act, “mifepristone will continue to expose increasing numbers of American women to severe risks.”
He said that the Obama and Biden administration stripped away safety guidelines that the FDA put in place when the drug was first approved under the Clinton administration in 2000.
The FDA approved a second generic mifepristone pill in October, making it more accessible.
“Mifepristone can now be shipped through the mail with the click of a button. Today the drug accounts for 70 percent of abortions in the United States, and at least 7.5 million women in the country have taken it since it was approved in 2000,” Hawley wrote in his letter, adding that the widespread availability of mifepristone has undermined the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case establishing the nationwide right to an abortion.
Read more from The Hill’s Alex Bolton.
