In September, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ordered the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to review mifepristone, an extremely safe and effective form of medication abortion with a 25-year track record of FDA approval. There is no question: This is a sham review demanded by anti-abortion leaders hellbent on getting Donald Trump to institute a backdoor abortion ban.
The process they envision is this: The FDA uses this review to promote biased, non-scientific information and make false claims about mifepristone. Then they want to use that as a pretext to either revoke the FDA approval of mifepristone entirely, or to place new restrictions on accessing it that push it out of reach for the people who need it. By barring access to abortion pills, RFK Jr., HHS, and Donald Trump would essentially create a backdoor abortion ban.
In requesting this unnecessary, politicized review, RFK Jr. cited a flawed pseudo-study from a group seeking to ban all abortions, the Ethics and Public Policy Center. This pseudo-study has not been peer-reviewed and falsely presents a view that medication abortion is not safe. [1] The report, which is the sole basis of Trump and Kennedy’s claims, spews various medical claims that are not backed by transparent data. [2]
This isn’t the first time that the Trump administration has issued baseless attacks on long-approved and commonly used medication. The same week RFK Jr. went after abortion pills, Trump warned against taking Tylenol during pregnancy, falsely claiming it was linked to autism. [3] Once again, the health secretary was using cherry-picked data to cast fabricated doubts upon a commonly used and long-approved drug. [3] These accusations are especially dangerous given that Tylenol is the only approved medication for treatment of pain during pregnancy, casting needless confusion on its safety. [3] These accusations are especially dangerous given that Tylenol is the only approved medication for treatment of pain during pregnancy, casting needless confusion on its safety. [3]
His anti-science agenda doesn’t stop there. RFK Jr. has extended these efforts so far as to remove all vaccine-related experts on the CDC advisory panel and verbally undermining numerous vaccine-related studies. [4] It is doubtful that RFK Jr. is capable of facilitating a trusted and anti-biased review process of any drug, as similarly noted by the 3,000+ health professionals and allies who recently called for his removal. [5]
Medication abortion accounts for a majority of abortion care in the US. In 2024, 63% of all abortions in the US were medication abortions, proving that the protocol is a commonly used, accessible, and effective form of care. [6] Trump and RFK Jr. can’t be trusted to maintain access to medication abortion.
Let’s be clear: the Trump administration will continue these attacks to roll back protections for abortion pill access, which currently account for nearly two-thirds of abortions in the U.S. every year. [6] As countless legitimate studies have shown: Medication abortion is safe. Period. Kennedy’s request to the FDA is a step toward a backdoor Trump abortion ban. [7]
Mifepristone is commonly used alongside misoprostol to induce abortion, and according to peer-reviewed research with credible data transparency, rates of adverse health risks are extremely low. [8,9] Risk of serious adverse events are nearly 5-10 times greater when taking drugs like Viagra. [10]
Mifepristone is safe and effective. We need more access to medication abortion, not less. When the science is followed, that is what happens. Just recently, the FDA approved a new generic form of mifepristone, proving yet again the scientific evidence for its efficacy. [11]
Tell Trump and RFK Jr. to keep their hands off mifepristone. There is no need for a sham “review.” Restrictions on medication abortion are backdoor abortion bans. Sign your name now to make clear to the FDA: Follow the science. Medication abortion is safe and effective. NO backdoor Trump abortion ban.
Sources:
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/29/abortion-pill-mifepristone-trump-rfk
[2] https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/trump-rfk-abortion-pill-tylenol-acetaminophen-rcna233936
[3] https://www.npr.org/sections/shots-health-news/2025/09/22/nx-s1-5550153/trump-rfk-autism-tylenol-leucovorin-pregnancy
[4] https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/05/rfk-jr-anti-science-agenda-us-health
[5] https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/13/defend-public-health-robert-f-kennedy-jr-hhs
[6] https://www.guttmacher.org/2024/03/medication-abortion-accounted-63-all-us-abortions-2023-increase-53-2020
[7] https://www.axios.com/2025/09/26/rfk-abortion-pills-fda-study-trump
[8] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4373977/
[9]https://journals.lww.com/greenjournal/Fulltext/2015/01000/Incidence_of_Emergency_Department_Visits_and.29.aspx
[10] https://www.cnn.com/health/abortion-pill-safety-dg
[11] https://www.npr.org/2025/10/02/nx-s1-5561155/fda-generic-abortion-pill