Polling reveals most Americans want abortion pill safeguards reinstated

A majority of Americans want safeguards for the abortion pill reinstated, according to new polling.

Key Takeaways:

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed certain safeguards on the abortion pill mifepristone when it was approved for use to kill preborn babies.

• The safeguards have gradually been weakened, even as it becomes clear how dangerous mifepristone is.

• A new poll found that a majority of Americans, across party lines, want some restrictions put back into place on the abortion pill.

The Details:

The Daily Wire reported that, according to a new poll, a majority of Americans, including Democrats, believe the sale of abortion pills through the mail should be stopped.

Polling for the 85 Fund conducted by CRC Research found that over two-thirds (67%) of respondents feel an in-person visit with a physician should be required before abortion pills can be sent to a woman in the mail. The result was largely consistent across party lines, with 72% of Republicans, 68% of independents, and 63% of Democrats in support.

Additionally, 70% of respondents said they support an in-person medical evaluation both before and after undergoing a chemical abortion.

“It’s overwhelmingly clear that Americans support reinstating the in-person dispensing requirement to protect women taking mifepristone,” Christina Francis, the CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNs, told The Daily Wire. “As physicians caring for women and babies every day, we see the devastating impact that the FDA’s relaxed standards are having on women’s health and safety.” 

Why It Matters:

Francis recently went undercover to show just how easily abortion pills can be obtained. In a new video, she lied about her name and age and gave multiple contraindications that should have disqualified her from receiving the abortion pill, yet her request was still approved — a clear sign of the significant dangers of the current lack of safeguards.

As Live Action Research Fellow Carole Novielli previously reported, the timeline of changes to the safety protocols is as follows:

• 2011: Following reports of serious adverse events, the drug was placed under a safety system known as REMS.

• 2016: Obama's FDA weakened the REMS by enabling the drug to be used up to 10 weeks of gestation (as opposed to seven) and removing the requirement that all adverse events other than death be reported. Those changes were pushed and financed by a pro-abortion coalition.

• 2023: Despite a prohibition under the federal Comstock Act, Biden's FDA eroded the REMS further by removing the in-person dispensing requirement and allowing for mail-order and pharmacy dispensing of the drug.

A recent analysis published by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) estimated that nearly 11% of women who take mifepristone require a visit to the emergency room or urgent care, which is 22 times the rate the FDA includes on the mifepristone label.

In addition, a more recent EPPC report states that "removing the in-person dispensing requirement for the abortion pill puts women at increased risk of serious adverse events — an estimate of 13.50 percentage points higher than for in-person dispensing."

The Bottom Line:

“A broad consensus exists around the dangers of mail-order abortion drugs and the risks they pose to women’s health and safety,” David Bereit, the executive director of the Life Leadership Conference, told the Daily Wire. “A majority of Americans, across the political spectrum, express serious concern that eliminating in-person medical oversight increases the likelihood of complications, coercion, and undetected abuse.”