Josh Hawley Desires Todd Blanche to Settle Lawsuit, Cease Mail-Order Abortions
Senator Josh Hawley is pressing acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to settle ongoing lawsuits challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s rules on the abortion pill mifepristone.
It’s a move aimed at halting the widespread distribution of mail-order abortions.
Hawley, a leading pro-life voice in Congress, believes Blanche will agree to settle the cases rather than continue defending policies that have killed millions of babies in abortions, hurt thousands upon thousands of women and enabled violent predators to force abortions on women.
REACH PRO-LIFE PEOPLE WORLDWIDE! Advertise with LifeNews to reach hundreds of thousands of pro-life readers every week. Contact us today.
The push comes as a major federal lawsuit challenging the FDA’s approval and regulations on mifepristone plays out, with Missouri serving as a lead plaintiff.
The senator has long criticized the FDA’s actions under previous administrations for turning mifepristone into the driver of abortion on demand.
“They did it because they wanted to turn mifepristone into the driver of abortion on demand, and we have to admit today they largely succeeded,” Hawley said. “There are more abortions now in the United States than there were when Roe versus Wade was the law of the land.”
Hawley has repeatedly highlighted how mail-order distribution of the drug undermines state laws protecting unborn life and maternal health.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway stated in court filings that “the widespread mail-order distribution of mifepristone directly undermines state law and burdens state hospitals, emergency rooms, and taxpayers.”
She added that she is “proud to lead the fight to protect women’s health and safety, ensure every unborn child has a voice, and defend the rule of law.”
In April, Hawley sent a letter to Blanche urging the Justice Department to open a full investigation into Danco Laboratories, the manufacturer of brand-name mifepristone. He cited concerns over the drug’s safety, noting it has harmed thousands of women and ended the lives of countless unborn children. Hawley also hosted a press conference featuring testimonies from women harmed by the drug and introduced legislation to revoke the FDA’s approval of mifepristone for abortion use while empowering victims to sue manufacturers.
“It is time for Congress to do something about this racket, and it is a racket,” Hawley said during a March press conference. “It is time for Congress to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion.”
The action comes amid heightened national scrutiny of mail-order abortion pills.
The FDA has launched a safety study of mifepristone, the primary drug used in chemical abortions. The review, expected to take about six months, is examining risks associated with the drug, particularly when distributed remotely without in-person medical oversight.
A recent analysis of commercial insurance claims involving 865,727 mifepristone prescriptions from 2017 to 2023. It found 94,605 women — nearly 11% — suffered serious complications within 45 days, including hemorrhage in 3.31% of cases, emergency room visits in 4.73%, and sepsis in 0.10%.
Peer-reviewed research found three quarters of ER visits within 30 days after abortion drug use were coded as severe or critical. Two separate, independent studies also found more than 1 in 10 women experience at least one severe adverse event. Complications can include hemorrhaging, infection, sepsis, and even death.
Other issues encompassed infections, transfusions, hospitalizations and life-threatening events like cardiac problems or anaphylaxis. In nearly 3% of cases, the drug failed, requiring surgical follow-up. Multiple women have died from the abortion pill.
A large national poll found 7 in 10 voters want to roll back Biden’s mail-order abortion drug rule and reinstate safeguards like in-person doctor visits.
