U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, Republican of Missouri, speaks with reporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, June 28, 2025. Hawley introduced a bill on Wednesday that would effectively ban the abortion drug mifepristone nationwide. (Photo: Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley filed a motion this week to rescind federal approval for mifepristone, a key abortion drug nationwide. The move highlights the anti-abortion movement growing dissatisfaction with the Trump administration’s approach to this issue.
“Congress must act now to protect women’s health and safety,” Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, said in a speech Wednesday statement.
Hawley Bill would order the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to withdraw its approval for the exploit of mifepristone to terminate pregnancies, declare the drug’s distribution a violation of federal law and allow women to sue abortion drug manufacturers.
“This is yet another attempt to discredit mifepristone, which we know from decades of research to be a very safe and effective treatment,” Plan C co-founder Elisa Wells told States Newsroom. “The claims in this bill, which is an attempt to unfairly restrict access, are false and based on false science that conservatives present as real.”
Despite hundreds of studies pointing to the drug’s safety, the FDA is reviewing mifepristone, a drug the agency approved more than 25 years ago.
Republican Attorneys General z Louisiana, Missouri, Idaho, Kansas, Florida and Texas have become impatient with the FDA’s approach to abortion policy and have taken matters into their own hands, suing the federal government and asking courts to ban, among other things, the prescribing of pills via telehealth. The Justice Department sought this delay these processes — or dismiss them altogether on the grounds that the litigation interferes with the FDA’s evaluation of mifepristone.
Louisiana’s pending telehealth injunction request, if granted, could limit access nationwide, at least temporarily.
Major anti-abortion groups, including the Center for Ethics and Public Policy, supported Hawley’s legislation this week. A conservative think tank published a non-peer-reviewed paper in April that found that nearly 11% of people who took abortion drugs experienced stern adverse events, although there is no consensus on the paper’s definition of this phenomenon. The FDA label for Mifeprex – the brand name of mifepristone – states that in less than 0.5% women.
In January, scientists from Johns Hopkins University published an article titled test reviewing documents used by the FDA to evaluate the 2011-2023 mifepristone regulations. The authors concluded that the agency based its decisions on scientific evidence rather than ideological bias and acted cautiously in increasing the availability of the drug.
Reproductive health researchers rejected the Center for Ethics and Public Policy’s take on its mifepristone paper: United Newsroom reported. However, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered a review of mifepristone weeks after its publication and told Hawley the results were “troubling” during a Senate hearing.
In states, Republican lawmakers have focused on restricting the availability of abortion drugs, the most common way to end early pregnancies in U.S. legislatures, which would open the door to a flurry of lawsuits against abortion providers and drugmakers awaiting the signatures – or vetoes – of governors in Mississippi and South Dakota.
Republican lawmakers described the measures as closing loopholes that would allow people to access abortion drugs in states where abortion is banned. Abortions via telehealth prescriptions in states with shield laws accounted for 27% of all abortions performed in the first half of 2025, according to the Family Planning Society’s latest #WeCount report. report.
Our reproductive rights reporting team has been following these bills closely this year. Depending on the partisan makeup of the state legislature and other state government officials, some bills are more likely to pass and become law than others.
Alaska
House Bill 326: : This bill would expressly prevent providers from offering medication abortions remotely and would require a follow-up visit within two weeks of the abortion being performed “to confirm that the pregnancy has been terminated.”
In the sponsor statementRepublican Kevin McCabe said his bill “raises the standard of care and ensures that these drugs are not distributed anonymously or without a physician’s involvement.” McCabe has stated that he believes life begins at conception and sponsored failed 2024 legislation that would have defined a fetus as a person in the state penal code, Alaska Lighthouse reported.
Status: In the House of Health and Welfare, in the judiciary committees
Sponsor: Republican Kevin McCabe
Indiana
Senate Bill 236: The Indiana Senate approved legislation in January that would allow Hoosiers to sue anyone involved in shipping abortion pills to the state, exposing suppliers and drug manufacturers to liability. The plaintiffs could collect at least $100,000 if they win the lawsuit, Chronicle of the Indiana Capital reported.
The bill would also boost the amount data on patients who have had an abortion that the state receives, and would declare that the treatment of miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies is not abortion, which it is medically inexact. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, mifepristone and misoprostol can be used to treat early pregnancy loss, and methotrexate can be used to treat ectopic pregnancies – when a fertilized egg grows in the fallopian tubes instead of the uterus – if they are diagnosed early. All three drugs are considered abortion-causing drugs.
Status: : Lost — The House refused to adopt the bill before the end of the session
Sponsor: Republican Senator Tyler Johnson
Kentucky
House Bill 646: This bill would classify abortion drugs as controlled perilous substances, making them more arduous to access in obstetric emergencies. Anyone found guilty of illegally possessing abortion drugs could face up to three years in prison. Pregnant women in possession of drugs will be exempt from penalties.
Under the proposal, anyone found guilty of mailing or mailing abortion pills to Kentucky could face up to three years behind bars. The bill would allow a pregnant person, their spouse, parent or legal guardian to sue providers who prescribe abortion drugs to Kentuckians. Providers treating abortion complications must also inform patients about this legal measure if the bill becomes law.
Status: On the House Judiciary Committee
Sponsor: Republican Nancy Tate
Oklahoma
Senate Act 1657: This measure would prohibit people from making, shipping, transporting, or distributing abortion drugs within the state. It would allow lawsuits to be filed against people who possess abortion drugs, and plaintiffs could receive up to $100,000 if their claims win in court. Women who terminate a pregnancy or attempt to perform an abortion themselves would be excluded from legal proceedings.
Status: In the Senate Health and Human Services Committee
Sponsor: Republican Senator Julie Daniels
Mississippi
House Bill 1613: This legislation would make it illegal to sell, manufacture, distribute or dispense abortion-inducing drugs in a state that prohibits all abortions unless the mother’s life or health is in danger.
Violators face one to 10 years in prison, and the state’s attorney general may impose civil penalties against the individual, Mississippi Free Press reported. The House passed the bill in February, and the Senate approved it on March 11. If Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signs the bill, it will take effect in July.
Status: On the governor’s desk
Sponsors: Republicans Kevin Horan and William Tracy Arnold
South Dakota
House Bill 1274: The state Senate approved a bill Monday that would make it illegal to dispense, distribute, sell or advertise abortion pills and any other abortion-related “instruments” or “articles.” Violators could face two years in prison, a $4,000 fine, or both South Dakota Spotlight reported.
The attorney general can seek fines of up to $10,000 for each violation, and the money will be transferred to a fund for anti-abortion prosecutions. Republican Attorney General Marty Jackley reached a settlement this week with Mayday Health over excessive advertisements for abortion drugs that appeared at gas stations across the state last year. Reflector reported.
Status: On the governor’s desk
Sponsors: Republicans John Hughes and Greg Blanc
West Virginia
Senate Bill No. 173: The state Senate approved a bill last month that would prohibit mailing abortion pills to West Virginians. Doctors could lose their medical licenses and non-medical professionals could face 3 to 10 years in prison for mailing abortion pills into the state. West Virginia watch reported.
The legislation includes an exception for providers offering the drug for a “valid medical reason.” Lawmakers approved an amendment by Republican Sen. Eric Tarr that would require the state’s attorney general to file an annual report on lawsuits filed on behalf of pregnant women who exploit abortion pills. People who sue the person or entity that shipped the abortion pills to West Virginia could recover up to $10,000.
Status: On the House Judiciary Committee
Sponsor: Republican Senator Chris Rose
This story was originally produced by News from the USwhich is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network that includes the Ohio Capital Journal and is supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity.
