U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) on March 13 cosponsored legislation that would ban the abortion drug mifepristone and remove it from the U.S. market.
As Zeale News previously reported, Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., introduced the bill, the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, (S. 4066) March 11 to ban the abortion pill nationwide and revoke its approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Cornyn said in a March 13 statement that the bill is necessary to protect unborn children and women from the risks associated with the drug.
“The data is clear that mifepristone, a mail-order drug that kills unborn children, also threatens the life of the mother and can cause severe adverse reactions ranging from sepsis to hemorrhages,” Cornyn said.
The senator said his support for banning mifepristone is rooted not only in science but also in religious conviction.
“Grounded in both science and Scripture,” Cornyn said, “directing the FDA to withdraw approval of harmful chemical abortions drugs is essential to protect the lives of our most vulnerable and ensure the strongest possible safety standards for women.”
In addition to revoking the drug’s FDA approval, the act would prohibit distributing mifepristone for abortion nationwide. The bill would also allow women harmed by chemical abortion to sue the pill’s manufacturers.
As Zeale News previously reported, the Biden administration lifted the in-person dispensing requirement for abortion pills in 2023, allowing providers to prescribe the drugs via telemedicine and ship them by mail, expanding access nationwide. As Zeale News previously reported, the Department of Justice in January asked a federal judge to delay or dismiss a lawsuit seeking to restore in-person safeguards for abortion drugs while the Food and Drug Administration conducts a safety review, a move criticized by some pro-life advocates.
If enacted, S. 4066 would effectively eliminate those expanded access measures because the distribution of mifepristone for abortion would become illegal under federal law.
The legislation has received support from several pro-life organizations, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Family Research Council, and Students for Life of America.