January 1, FDA Launches Deep Review of Abortion Pill Safety

Wyatt’s Take

• The FDA is running its most thorough review yet of the abortion pill mifepristone.
• Many are concerned about the safety of abortion pills, especially when taken without medical supervision.
• Pro-life groups and voters are pushing back against relaxed rules for abortion drugs.

The FDA is carrying out a detailed study of the abortion pill mifepristone, promising more proof than past research. Commissioner Marty Makary said the results will be made public once the review is complete.

Concern has grown over women suffering injuries or worse after taking abortion pills without seeing a doctor. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. guaranteed the administration would “study the safety of mifepristone.” By March 2025, Makary pledged to check all new data.

For much of 2025, details on the review stayed hidden, angering lawmakers and pro-life supporters. They pressed the FDA to take a harder line on easy access to mifepristone, especially by mail or in drugstores, often without medical oversight. Polls show most likely voters want stronger protections for women from abortion drugs.

The FDA had not given clear answers on who leads the study or how it will work, but Makary confirmed that it is ongoing and “in the data acquisition phase.”

“It’ll be reported up to me,” he said.

He didn’t give a finish date but did commit to releasing the FDA’s findings as soon as they are ready.

“We’re not going to decide what the results are before we’ve done the study,” he added. “We’re doing the study the right way. And when you do the study the right way… you gotta do the studies in data the right way with the right pace.”

An April 2025 study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center found over 10% of women who take mifepristone suffer a serious bad reaction. The true risk of complications is much higher than what the FDA or the drug maker claim. Makary said the FDA’s review is “bigger” and “more robust,” going further than private research and digging deeper into patient details.

Some reports say the FDA has dragged its feet on safety, leading pro-life groups to call for leadership changes. Still, experts note that the FDA could quickly bring back basic safeguards, like making sure women see a doctor before getting the abortion pill—just like before Biden loosened requirements. Right now, these drugs are easier to get than ever, even in states that try to ban them.

The FDA recently approved a generic version of mifepristone, giving women even more options. Officials said that, by law, the generics must match the original drug. But the generic sat unapproved much longer under Biden than under Trump before finally getting the green light.

Stories about women poisoned by abortion pills continue to surface. Evidence shows that people who want to do harm can more easily force these pills on others because of the FDA’s relaxed rules. Most abortions—70 percent—are believed to go against the mother’s wishes or values, raising even more red flags for Middle American families.

Stay tuned for more honest updates about how D.C. decisions hit close to home.

Wyatt Matters

When government agencies loosen standards, it’s working Americans—the backbone of this country—who shoulder the risks. Looking out for the health and safety of our families must always come first.

Read the full report