Reproductive Equity Now Emphasizes Safety of Medication Abortion Ahead of Senate HELP Committee Hearing
REN reiterates proven safety record of Mifepristone amidst federal attacks
Boston, MA (January 14, 2026) – Reproductive Equity Now released a statement ahead of the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Hearing on medication abortion today, January 14th at 10:00 AM. Senate Majority leadership is expected to rely on debunked studies and junk science in an attempt to undermine decades-long research affirming the safety and efficacy of medication abortion. Watch the hearing live HERE.
“These are the facts: medication abortion has expanded access to essential health care, especially for people living in states with abortion bans. It has been a lifeline for patients facing impossible barriers to abortion, and its availability via telehealth has allowed states like those in New England to provide care far beyond their borders. Medication abortion has been safely used by millions of patients in the United States for more than 25 years and is backed by decades of rigorous research proving its safety and effectiveness,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. “The truth, science, and facts don’t fit the narrative the anti-abortion majority in the Senate is trying to push. Anti-abortion politicians are fabricating lies and ‘junk science’ to advance an extreme anti-women, anti-science agenda. It doesn’t matter that three in five Americans support access to medication abortion or that medication abortion is one of the most highly regulated and safest medications on the market; anti-abortion politicians are hellbent on trying to control our bodies and undermine our autonomy. We are in a public health crisis; it’s time to stop playing politics with our lives and start protecting our care.”
Medication abortion has been safely used by millions of patients in the U.S. for more than 25 years. Medication abortion accounts for nearly two-thirds of all abortion care nationwide. Today, shield law providers are meeting the needs of nearly 15,000 patients each month in states with abortion bans, proving that access is expanding because the care is safe. Additionally, three in five Americans support access to medication abortion via telehealth and mail.
As reported in Abortion, Every Day, a new study published in JAMA shows that the FDA’s approval process for mifepristone has been motivated by science—not politics. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University examined the FDA’s actions over 12 years, and found that the agency’s decisions have “been shaped by scientific evidence and a cautious regulatory approach.”
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