Article Summary:
The FDA has approved a generic version of the abortion pill mifepristone, expanding its supply at a time when the Trump administration is facing pressure from abortion opponents to restrict access to abortion medication. This approval, issued without a public announcement, means that three American companies can now produce mifepristone for abortion.
The decision comes as anti-abortion activists have been urging the FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to curtail access to abortion pills, which have been prescribed in increasing numbers since the Supreme Court overturned the national right to abortion in 2022. Nearly two-thirds of abortions in the US are now carried out with medication, a major reason the number of abortions has not decreased since the court decision.
While many of Trump’s supporters and officials are strongly anti-abortion, his administration has not taken major steps to curtail access to abortion pills. The FDA’s mission is intended to be apolitical and rooted in scientific evidence. In response to pressure from anti-abortion groups, HHS and the FDA commissioner have said they will study the safety of mifepristone, but medical experts and supporters of abortion rights have pointed out that mifepristone is safe and serious complications are rare.
Supporters of abortion rights welcomed the FDA’s decision, saying it expands patients’ options for medication abortion. Anti-abortion advocates vowed to continue to press the administration, arguing that the right of states to pass and enforce pro-life protections is being “trampled upon by the abortion industry.”