50 pro-life leaders call on FDA nominee Dr. Heidi Overton to restore 'minimal safeguards' on mifepristone

A coalition of 50 pro-life leaders, including pastors, released a joint statement on Thursday calling on FDA Commissioner nominee Dr. Heidi Overton to restore earlier safeguards on the abortion drug mifepristone while the agency finishes a long-running safety review.

Issued ahead of Overton's Senate confirmation hearing Thursday, the statement argues that FDA policy is too permissive and advised reverting to the restrictions that were in place before the Biden administration removed the in-person dispensing requirement, allowing pharmacy and mail-order distribution.

The signatories maintained that the earlier rules on the abortifacient drug provided "at least some minimal safeguards and medical oversight" until the review is complete.

"Dr. Overton's confirmation hearing provides an important opportunity for her to make clear what she plans to do about the FDA's extremely permissive policy governing mifepristone," they wrote. "There are good reasons the FDA policy should not be this permissive."

The first of the three major concerns the letter raised cited safety data reporting that nearly 11% of women who take mifepristone experience a serious adverse event within 45 days. It also warned that mail-order access without an in-person visit makes it harder to detect coercion or abuse, particularly by men seeking to force abortions without a woman's knowledge or consent.

The letter also argued that mailed abortion drugs from other states and overseas undermine laws in approximately 20 states that have enacted new abortion restrictions in the wake of the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.

"Shield laws protecting abortionists are facilitating approximately 14,770 abortions in states with pro-life laws each month, meaning that around 177,240 lives could be saved annually in pro-life states if their laws were respected. State governments attempting to protect life are being undermined by abortion drugs mailed in from outside their borders," the letter said.

The letter goes on to criticize the FDA's review process regarding mifepristone for having lasted nearly two years without producing a policy change. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered an FDA review of the drug’s safety last year, following calls from pro-life groups and lawmakers.

The letter listed a number of questions that signatories wanted senators to ask Overton, including whether she will immediately restore prior safeguards, end the current mail-order protocol, investigate adverse events more rigorously and address interstate distribution that circumvents state laws.

Signatories included Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins, Live Action President Lila Rose, Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver, Pastor Jack Hibbs, as well as leaders of numerous state family-policy groups, Christian medical associations and other organizations.

"Those who advocate for women and the unborn have patiently awaited the end of the Biden-era abortion by mail scheme, which was designed to undermine the Dobbs decision. It is time for the Trump FDA to take action," Perkins said in a statement.

Framing mifepristone as the most common drug used for abortion and the only one whose primary purpose is to end pregnancy, the statement closed by urging Overton and the Trump administration to "be the defenders that American families need."

Overton, who worked for the America First Policy Institute, has previously denounced the FDA's decision to permit mail-order mifepristone as "dangerous for women" and has described it as "chemical abortion on demand."

In response to questioning from Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., at her Senate confirmation hearing on Thursday, Overton avoided offering her personal opinion on the drug, noting it "has met the safety and efficacy determinations of the FDA" and that she didn't want to "prejudge" the FDA's safety review.