Sen. Josh Hawley Introduces Bill to Restrict Mifepristone Access

Senator Josh Hawley has introduced legislation aiming to reinstate strict FDA restrictions on the abortion pill mifepristone, including banning telemedicine prescriptions and requiring in-person doctor visits. Hawley and other anti-abortion advocates are citing a recent report from the conservative Ethics and Public Policy Center, which claims a high rate of adverse health events from mifepristone use. Critics argue that the study is methodologically flawed and that decades of existing scientific data support the safety of medication abortion. Hawley has also urged the Trump administration to let states impose their own restrictions, challenging current federal policies that allow mail-order access to the drug. This move is part of a broader anti-abortion strategy to use disputed data to justify national restrictions on medication abortion. The debate underscores a larger divide within the Republican Party and ongoing legal and political battles over abortion access in the United States.