RFK Jr. sets off new abortion alarms
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The Trump administration is facing conflicting political pressures after Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the Food and Drug Administration will "study" adding safety restrictions on abortion pills.
Why it matters: New limits like requiring in-person prescribing of the widely used abortion drug mifepristone would severely limit access to abortion in states with bans.
Between the lines: An FDA safety review sits well with many in the Republican base who are strongly anti-abortion and are pushing hard for new restrictions.
- On the other hand, President Trump repeatedly pledged during the campaign last year that he would leave abortion policy to the states, to push back against Democratic charges that he would seek a nationwide ban.
- Any new restrictions would face major political blowback heading into a midterm election year.
- Pro-abortion rights advocates fear the administration will cite safety concerns about mifepristone as justification for moving closer to their goal of limiting access.
What they're saying: "Through the FDA, [Health and Human Services] will conduct a study of the safety of the current [safety protocol], in order to determine whether modifications are necessary," Kennedy and FDA commissioner Marty Makary wrote in a letter dated Sept. 19 to attorneys general.
- One of the possible safety options would be bringing back requirements that the drug be dispensed in person, which would cut off telehealth prescribing and the mailing of pills into states with abortion bans.
- "In some of these states, the abortion rate, the volume of abortion is at the level that it was pre-Dobbs, and in some cases, I think even just a little bit higher," said Alina Salganicoff, director for women's health policy at KFF, noting that's in part because telehealth access has mitigated the effects of state bans.
- "That's why the AGs, and many of these states and governors, have really tried to go after telehealth abortions, as a way to restrict abortion access to people who live in those states," she added.
Yes, but: It's not clear what if any restrictions the Trump administration will ultimately put in place.
- Telling GOP state attorneys general that they are studying the issue can also be a way to buy time.
- Still, anti-abortion groups cheered the Kennedy-Makary letter.
- "We're encouraged that the Trump administration is conducting this study and taking women's real experiences seriously," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), who has been pushing the administration for new restrictions, also praised the move on X as "long promised and much needed."
The bottom line: Pro-abortion rights groups are on guard for any changes. "Mifepristone is safe, effective, and essential," said Mini Timmaraju, president of Reproductive Freedom for All. "This is political interference designed to rip away our freedoms."
