Letter to Hon. Robert Califf, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration - Sen. Cramer, Colleagues Call For FDA to Immediately Restore Oversight Of Chemical Abortion Pills

Letter

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH), and 123 colleagues from the Senate and House of Representatives, on a letter demanding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) immediately restore more stringent oversight of chemical abortion bills, including the in-person dispensing requirement the FDA suspended in December.

The lawmakers issued a letter to newly-confirmed FDA Commissioner Robert Califf M.D., which cites studies that affirm the increased health risks to women who use the chemical abortion drug mifepristone. The FDA in December removed in-person dispensing requirements from the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for mifepristone, clearing the way for widespread mail-order distribution of the drug.

"In addition to the loss of the unborn child, chemical abortion drugs present serious risk to the health of the mother, including severe bleeding, infection, the need for surgical intervention, and even death. In fact, chemical abortions are four times more dangerous than surgical abortions. These health risks necessitate, at minimum, in-person screening by a physician. Pregnant mothers need to be screened in-person for contraindications like an ectopic pregnancy and the age of their baby to prevent life-threatening complications. They should also be tested for blood type and Rh factor to protect their fertility, examined after taking the drugs because of the risk of infection from an incomplete abortion. Furthermore, allowing these drugs to be dispensed without physician oversight makes it easier for the drug to fall into the hands of abusers who may give them to pregnant women without their knowledge and consent," wrote the members.

The letter cites research showing the increased serious risks associated with mifepristone, including a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study, published in November 2021 that found the rate of abortion-related emergency room visits following a chemical abortion increased by more than 500 percent from 2002 through 2015.

Senators Cramer and Hyde-Smith and Representative Latta are joined on the letter by 34 Senators and 81 Members of Congress.