FDA Approval of Generic Abortion Pill Sparks Fierce Pushback from Pro-Life Leaders
The FDA’s approval of another generic abortion pill has ignited pushback from social conservatives, who say it represents a betrayal by an administration they consider pro-life allies.
Drug company Evita Solutions announced on its website last week that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved a generic version of mifepristone, which Evita said can be used up to 70 days from the first day of a woman’s last menstrual cycle.
Mifepristone is the first drug in the two-step abortion pill regimen, blocking the hormone progesterone and causing the uterine lining to break down, which results in the death of the unborn baby. Misoprostol, taken next, induces contractions to expel the dead fetus.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) called the FDA’s approval “shocking,” adding that the evidence “shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother” – “and of course 100% lethal to the child.”
“FDA had promised to do a top-to-bottom safety review of the chemical abortion drug, but instead they’ve just greenlighted new versions of it for distribution,” Hawley said. “I have lost confidence in the leadership at FDA.”
This is shocking. FDA has just approved ANOTHER chemical abortion drug, when the evidence shows chemical abortion drugs are dangerous and even deadly for the mother. And of course 100% lethal to the child.
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) October 2, 2025
Most abortions in the United States involve the abortion pill, which was first approved under the Clinton administration in 2000, although the Obama and Biden administrations dramatically loosened restrictions.
Lila Rose, president and founder of Live Action, labeled the FDA’s approval of the new generic drug “unacceptable.”
“The FDA just said it would do a new serious safety study – so why approve another generic now? @RobertKennedyJr must reverse this decision!” she wrote on X, referencing Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
UNACCEPTABLE: The FDA just approved another generic of the abortion pill mifepristone. This drug starves babies and harms mothers! The FDA just said it would do a new serious safety study—so why approve a another generic now? @RobertKennedyJr must reverse this decision! https://t.co/DYtSAEFvMg
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) October 2, 2025
Gary Hollingsworth, interim president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, urged the FDA to reverse course.
“We affirm that life is a sacred gift, not a commodity to be regulated or discarded,” Hollingsworth said, according to Baptist Press. “In response, the ERLC is sending a letter to [Health and Human Services] and the FDA, urging them to take action with the ultimate goal of removing this dangerous, life-taking drug from the market for good.”
Kennedy responded to pro-life leaders by asserting the FDA’s approval was mandated by law. The FDA, he said, “only approved a second generic mifepristone tablet because federal law requires approval when an application proves the generic is identical to the brand-name drug.”
“The Biden administration removed mifepristone’s in-person dispensing rule without studying the safety risks,” Kennedy said. “We are filling that gap. Last month, I joined @DrMakaryFDA [FDA Commissioner Martin A. Makary] in writing to state attorneys general, pledging to review all the evidence – including real-world outcomes – on the safety of this drug. Recent studies already point to serious risks when mifepristone is used without proper medical oversight.”
The Biden administration removed mifepristone’s in-person dispensing rule without studying the safety risks. We are filling that gap. Last month, I joined @DrMakaryFDA in writing to state attorneys general, pledging to review all the evidence — including real-world outcomes — on… pic.twitter.com/G0eE4H4y42
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) October 2, 2025
Earlier this year, a study from the Ethics and Public Policy Center found that the abortion pill is 22 times more dangerous than manufacturer data previously suggested. Researchers revealed that 10.93 percent of women who take mifepristone experience serious complications such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging within 45 days.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/SabdiZ
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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Originally published October 06, 2025.
