Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) has sounded the alarm on America’s escalating abortion rates, calling it a “serious crisis” that demands congressional intervention to protect the unborn. During a closed-door Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, Hawley expressed frustration over the lack of progress on a promised safety study for the abortion drug mifepristone.
Hawley highlighted the grim reality: “I think we’re at a dead end on this process with the safety review. I just don’t think it’s going anywhere, and I think the fact that 70% of abortions in this country now are done with the chemical abortion drug, there are more abortions in America now than there were when Roe was still the law of the land just a few years ago. We have a serious, serious crisis around the chemical abortion drug, and we’ve got to do something about it.”
A December report from the Society of Family Planning reveals monthly abortions rose in 2025 compared to 2024, which already exceeded 2023 levels. Medication abortions, often via mail to states with restrictions, dominate this increase—undermining pro-life protections and endangering women’s health while claiming innocent lives.
Hawley noted no response to his letters to the FDA on mifepristone and observed no new urgency in the briefing. He insisted Congress act: “Congress shouldn’t be a spectator and just outsource this to other people. I think it’s time for Congress to get involved.” As a starting point, he proposed revoking a Biden-era policy allowing mifepristone to be mailed without in-person medical visits, arguing it circumvents state laws safeguarding the unborn.