Leaders in the pro-life movement, including Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, released a letter requesting the nominee for the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, Heidi Overton, to restore safeguards surrounding the abortion drug if confirmed by the Senate ahead of her hearing on Thursday.

Overton stood to be questioned before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. FRC explained in the letter: “Those who advocate for women and the unborn have patiently awaited the end of the Biden-era abortion by mail scheme, which was designed to undermine the Dobbs decision. It is time for the Trump FDA to take action.”

“We are told that the FDA is conducting an ongoing study of mifepristone,” the letter states. “However, that study has supposedly been ongoing for nearly two years.”

The letter cites a multitude of concerns about the distribution and consumption of mifepristone. “First, there are serious concerns about the safety of the drug,” the letter reads. “As just one example, a recent study found that nearly 11% of women taking mifepristone have a serious ‘adverse event’ within 45 days of taking it.”

“Second,” the leaders write, “the permissiveness of the current policy is increasing the risk of abuse, especially by men who seek to force women to have abortions without their consent or knowledge. By allowing mifepristone to be obtained without an in-person medical visit, the current FDA policy makes it more difficult to screen vulnerable women outside the presence of potential abusers. Third, mail-order abortion is undermining state laws enacted to protect unborn life and women.”

Joy Stockbauer, policy analyst for FRC’s Center for Human Dignity, told The Washington Stand that this is a crucial moment for pro-life leaders to speak up. “Dangerous Biden-era policies on abortion drugs have been left untouched throughout this iteration of the Trump administration, and the consequences are heartbreaking.”

“Abusers are using abortion drugs to kill unborn children against their mothers’ will,” Stockbauer added. “Lethal drugs are being shipped through the mail with no medical oversight. The mothers and babies of America need and deserve far better from the FDA. I pray Heidi Overton can prove to be the defender these vulnerable populations need.” 

The letter suggests that Overton should be asked a specific set of questions during her hearing, including: “Will she investigate the adverse events associated with mifepristone and ensure that FDA policy is based on a rigorous examination of the drug’s impact on women?” and “How will the FDA address the interstate distribution of mifepristone that is undermining the laws of states seeking to protect unborn life and women?”

In 2023, Overton co-authored an issue brief published by America First Policy Institute in which she wrote, “Abortion is corrosive to children, women, and society broadly because it devalues and extinguishes innocent human life. Unfortunately, federal policymakers have recently expanded access to abortion pills, also called chemical abortions, which are far more dangerous to women, enabling rapid access to abortion. … Mifepristone blocks the naturally occurring hormone progesterone, thus disrupting the endometrial lining and essentially depriving the baby of the oxygen and nutrients needed for continued growth — effectively starving the child.”

“Dangerous chemical abortions are now the most common method of terminating a pregnancy. They are a serious threat to women’s health and deserve greater medical scrutiny,” she continued. 

During Thursday’s Senate confirmation hearing, Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) asked Overton if she agreed with the FDA’s approval of mifepristone. Overton replied, “As the nominee for the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, my job would be to abide by the statutory standards set out for safety and efficacy. And when a product is before the agency and has met those standards, I would agree with the statutory standards of safety and efficacy.”

Murray furthered inquired about the issue brief, “You actually published an article three years ago that incorrectly described medication abortion as dangerous to women. The fact that you would blatantly contradict decades of high-quality scientific evidence and millions of patients use is alarming to me.”

Overton answered, “I have always been driven by data and information and used the clinical training and the research training that I have in everything that I have written. Specific to that publication in 2023, it was at a time after a change was made at the FDA and how that medication was accessed. And I think it’s very important for the FDA in its post-market review, like with every medication, especially those medications that have a risk evaluation mitigation strategy.”

If the committee votes to advance Overton’s nomination, the full Senate will need to vote to confirm her at a later time.