Will the FDA's Mifepristone Study Drop *Before* the Midterms?

6.30.26

Click to skip ahead: FDA May Finish its Abortion Pill ‘Safety Review’ Before the Midterms; In the States: Wisconsin, Virginia, Iowa, Nevada & More; Meet the Texas Republican Who Wants to Execute Abortion Patients; Here’s Democrats’ Winning Contraception Talking Point; Pro-Choice Speech Was in Court Last Week; Legislation Watch: Democrats Propose New Abortion Protections; Read My Tabs: SCOTUS, Extremist Judges & the Future of Clinics

🚩: conservative or religious news outlet, click with caution

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FDA May Finish its Abortion Pill ‘Safety Review’ Before the Midterms

This is interesting: conservative outlets are reporting that the FDA could complete its so-called “safety review” of mifepristone before the midterms. The Trump administration has been slow-walking this bogus study for nearly a year—deliberately avoiding any big public moves against abortion before November.

But last week, the Daily Signal reported (🚩) that a few members of Congress were told to expect results by September.

The goal is pretty straightforward: get the FDA to abandon its scientific principles, declare mifepristone dangerous, and reinstate an in-person dispensing requirement that would effectively kill telehealth access to abortion—which now accounts for nearly 30% of all abortions in the U.S.

The truth? Decades of research show that abortion pills are safe and effective, and telehealth has been a life-saver (sometimes literally) for women in banned states.

I’ll keep you updated as I learn more, but I’m wondering if the FDA review potentially coming out in September could be a good thing. Maybe it means the administration isn’t releasing anything they think voters will get pissed off about?

In the States: Wisconsin, Virginia, Iowa, Nevada & More

Wisconsin Sen. Dianne Hesselbein wants to codify abortion protections in the state constitution—calling for the issue to be put to voters should Democrats take back the legislature in November. In a Cap Times op-ed, Hesselbein wrote:

“Laws can be overturned by Republican majorities in the Legislature and in our courts, and it is unacceptable to leave the door open on a fundamental right. There cannot be another generation of women who fight for abortion access and succeed, only to see it ripped away.”

Meanwhile, a Bedford County supervisor is still trying to stop Virginia voters from having a say on abortion rights: Charla Bansley’s suit, which was filed by the conservative Liberty Counsel, alleges that state lawmakers didn’t take certain procedural steps required before a constitutional amendment can go to voters. The short version? Anti-abortion activists are trying to stop voters from having a say based on a random technicality.

A new Iowa law goes into effect tomorrow that mandates women get abortion pills in person—yet another Republican attack on telemedicine abortion. The law also requires a physical exam and a screening for abuse or coercion.

Here’s the thing: because Iowa has a six-week ban, most women in the state haven’t been getting abortion pills from Iowa providers anyway. Law professor Sally Frank says they’re largely having the medication shipped to them from pro-choice states. So consider this your regular reminder to let your friends and family in Iowa know how to get abortion pills. (Click on our Resources page for more.)

Another anti-abortion law goes into effect tomorrow, this time in Kansas. The Pregnancy Center Autonomy Act makes anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers all but immune from state regulation—even allowing the fake clinics to sue anyone, legislators included, who try to hold them accountable for lying to women. Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed the law earlier this year, but was overridden by the Senate.

The new law is part of a larger legislative trend: usually called the CARE Act, these laws were crafted by the conservative powerhouse Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) to give CPCs unchecked power. (And to attack birth control.)

As Kansas implements this new law, abortion rights advocates are urging women to “do your research”: make sure the clinic you’re visiting is an actual medical center.

Finally, Nevada Democrats used last week’s Dobbs anniversary to remind voters that abortion is on the ballot this November: Question 6 would add abortion protections to the state constitution. The measure already passed in 2024—but it needs to pass twice before the new amendment is adopted.

I’m curious if any readers in Nevada have seen the kind of anti-abortion attacks or trickery that we’ve witnessed in other states considering pro-choice ballot measures. Hit me up and let me know!

Quick hits:

• The Illinois Department of Public Health has expanded pharmacists’ ability to provide prescription birth control—hormonal and non-hormonal—directly to patients;

• I’m sorry to report that Planned Parenthood is closing its Iowa City clinic;

• And a Tennessee man is facing two counts of first degree murder for the death of his pregnant girlfriend.

“It’s a completely different culture than it was 10 years ago. That is progress, even as we have so many more barriers to eliminate.”

- Erika Christensen, co-founder of Patient Forward, spoke to Stateline about the push for abortion access throughout pregnancy

Meet the Texas Republican Who Wants to Execute Abortion Patients

The Texas Republican who wants to execute abortion patients spoke with The Texan recently, and the interview is a must-watch for anyone who wants to understand ‘abolitionist’ strategy and language.

Reporter Mary Elise O’Bar sat down with state Rep. Brent Money at the Texas GOP convention, where Republicans adopted a platform that calls for abortion patients to be punished with life in prison or the death penalty. The GOP actually first included that ‘equal protection’ language a few years ago—but this year, the Texas Alliance for Life lobbied Republicans to change the plank. (The GOP refused.)

A few highlights from the interview:

• Money insisted his legislation doesn’t add penalties for women—he says the penalties are already there, his bill just eliminates women’s “blanket immunity.” This is language we’ve heard before, and it’s a total cop out: these guys think they can make executing women sound more palatable if they frame it as just a bit of legal tinkering.

• Money also said abortion patients who were under duress, forced, or who “don’t understand what they’re doing” could avoid prosecution. And when asked about retroactive punishment, he went on a tear about repentance. (Yuck.) This also aligns with past comments from ‘abolitionists’: they’re particularly eager to punish women who don’t regret their abortions. Almost as if it’s not about abortion, but women’s obedience!

Most troubling? Money believes his bill will move forward this session, and made clear that there are a growing number of legislators who want to punish women—and not just in his state:

“Across the country, the idea of equal protection becoming much more mainstream. I think the Overton window is moving dramatically in that direction.”

He’s not wrong. As I pointed out last week—and have been yelling about for years—the ‘abolitionist’ movement is gaining mainstream momentum. I mean really, even JD Vance just dropped a little wink-wink message to the movement.

Here’s Democrats’ Winning Contraception Talking Point

Another day, another poll showing that Americans overwhelmingly support abortion rights. Navigator’s America 250 survey didn’t just find that most Americans are pro-choice—but that many see the end of Roe as the moment the country went off the rails.

Of the 64% who said the U.S. is on the wrong track, 35% pointed to the Supreme Court's decision—that’s nearly as many as the 36% who blamed the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another takeaway: the abortion rights messages that resonated most with voters were about freedom from government interference. 79% of respondents—including a majority of Republicans—agreed that:

• “The government should not have control over my personal medical decision-making”

• “People should have the freedom to decide if and when to have a child”

• “People should have the freedom to make the best financial decisions for their family, including deciding if and when to start a family that they can provide for”

We’ve seen similar sentiments in other major polls: Axios/Ipsos found that 81% of Americans don’t want abortion regulated by law, but to remain a decision between a woman and her doctor. And an ABC News/Washington Post poll put that number at 78%.

Navigator also asked voters about dealbreakers: most said they couldn’t support a candidate who backed common anti-abortion policies. The vast majority would also refuse to support a candidate who backed a contraception ban (70%) or a national abortion ban (65%).

In other words, it’s a terrific time to remind voters that the Trump administration has officially labeled most forms of contraception “abortifacient birth control.” And we should be making every Republican candidate say—on the record—not just whether they support contraception, but which kinds. Do they believe emergency contraception and IUDs end pregnancies?

There are so many opportunities to put these assholes on the ropes, and we’re not taking nearly enough of them: the GOP is laying the groundwork to ban birth control right underneath voters’ noses, and Americans deserve to know.

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Abortion, Every Day will have more midterm messaging suggestions in the coming weeks—built on four years of watching the anti-abortion movement's every move. If you want to support that work, consider becoming a paying subscriber:

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Pro-Choice Speech Was in Court Last Week

Gotta say, I really appreciate the work Mayday Health is doing to raise awareness about the availability of abortion pills. Frankly, I also love how much they’re pissing off conservatives. The Daily Caller (🚩) and New York Post (🚩), for example, lost their collective shit over an airplane banner the group flew over the U.S. Open—which read “Abortion Pills by Mail” and directed people to Mayday’s website.

And last week, Mayday was in a South Dakota courtroom for their legal challenge against the state’s new law banning abortion pill advertisements. South Dakota’s law is so (deliberately) broad and vague that it could criminalize even sharing information about abortion. Attorney Turbak Berry pointed to a sweatshirt she purchased on Mayday’s website, for example, which displays a similar message to the ads:

“They don’t want you to know this:

You can still get abortion pills in all 50 states

Learn more at mayday.health”

Berry argued that under the new law, South Dakota could prosecute her for wearing the shirt—claiming it’s an ad. Meanwhile, Attorney General Marty Jackley insists Mayday is conspiring and “aiding and abetting” in the distribution of abortion pills.

“What the First Amendment doesn’t do is protect an illegal drug transaction in South Dakota,” he said.

Mayday and Jackley actually have some longstanding beef: the Republican AG threatened the group with criminal charges over their ad campaign in South Dakota gas stations.

That legal threat and this new law is all part of a broader attack on pro-choice speech across the country. The short version? If Republicans can’t stop the shipping of abortion pills, they’ll try to stop women from learning about the medication in the first place.

Legislation Watch: Democrats Propose New Abortion Protections

Both sides of the aisle proposed national abortion legislation last week to commemorate the fourth anniversary of Dobbs. Here’s what Democrats were up to:

Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Kim Schrier reintroduced the Let Doctors Provide Reproductive Health Care Act, which would prevent abortion providers in pro-choice states from criminal prosecution or civil suits.

Over two dozen House Democrats introduced the Federal Workforce Reproductive Rights Protection Act, which would prohibit federal agencies from relocating their headquarters (or at least 5% of their employees) to states with abortion bans. It would also ban the purchase or new leasing of property in such states, and allow federal employees to opt out of relocations or reassignments to states that have restricted or banned abortion.

Reps. Lizzie Fletcher, Kelly Morrison, Kim Schrier, and Ami Bera introduced the Safeguarding Access to Full-spectrum Education and (SAFE) Training for OBGYNs Act. The legislation establishes funding for OB/GYN residency programs that train residents coming from banned states. (Doctors have been forced to travel out of state to learn abortion care.) Rep. Fletcher said:

“In states like Texas where abortion is banned, OB/GYN residents cannot get the full training they need to care for their patients—and women across the country are paying the price. Restricted access to training is already driving a shortage of providers, making reproductive care harder to access even in states without bans.”

Finally, thanks to Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who called for a moment of silence for the women killed by abortion bans. (The women, of course, that we know about.)

Read My Tabs: SCOTUS, Extremist Judges & the Future of Clinics

• Reproductive Freedom for All is tracking the federal judges appointed under Donald Trump who have a history of opposing abortion rights, IVF, or contraception.

• Mother Jones spoke to author and abortion sociologist Carole Joffe about the last four years, emergency abortion care, and why she’s worried about the viability of brick-and-mortar clinics.

• Latona Giwa of Repro TLC (who chatted with me in a livestream last year) asks, “Who Will Train The Next Generation of Abortion Providers?”

• For the legal nerds among us, Ian Millhiser at Vox digs into how SCOTUS “invented a special legal rule solely to screw Planned Parenthood.”

• Finally, Carrie Baker, author of Abortion Pills: U.S. History and Politics, has a fascinating piece at Ms. magazine: “With training and guidance from Latin American feminists, U.S.-based collectives are now using a double-dose mifepristone protocol for pregnancies 17 weeks of gestation and longer.”