(Washington, D.C.): The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary responded to a letter sent by Republican Attorneys General urging HHS leadership to prioritize the investigation and review of the chemical abortion drug mifepristone as earlier promised by Secretary Kennedy. In their response, Kennedy and Makary dedicate their agencies to a full review of the drug, acknowledging the concerns of the Attorneys General “merit close examination.”
The HHS leadership wrote that the concerns meriting investigation are rooted in “the lack of adequate consideration underlying the prior REMS approvals” as well as the most recent analysis from the Ethics and Public Policy Center that suggests the chemical abortion regimen is far more dangerous than the original FDA approval has led the public to believe.
John Mize, the CEO of Americans United for Life, emphasized, “HHS has the opportunity to regain the trust of the American people by ensuring transparency, demonstrating the efficacy of their review based in science, not politics. Kennedy and Makary must lead the way and restore, at minimum, the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies applied to the original FDA approval.”
Sarah Zagorski, Senior Director of Public Relations and Communications for Americans United for Life, stated, “Since mifepristone was first approved by the FDA, politicians and abortion advocates have placed ‘access’ on a pedestal, leaving behind the lived experiences of the women affected by their abortion-extremist policies. The FDA must right the wrongs of their agency, recentering women, not the abortion industry, within their regulatory policies.”
Americans United for Life stands behind Secretary Kennedy and Commissioner Makary in their review of the current safety and efficacy of mifepristone and urges them to continue to place the safety of women and “Gold Standard Science” over political agenda.
For more information or to arrange an interview with AUL, contact Gavin Oxley at press@aul.org or 202-987-3321.
Since 1971, Americans United for Life (AUL) has advanced the human right to life in culture, law, and policy by equipping advocates and lawmakers with the facts and strategies that change hearts and minds and protect human life. The first national pro-life organization in the country, AUL is a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization with a four-star rating from Charity Navigator.
