Josh Hawley wants to ban abortion pill as Missouri gears up for historic vote
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Hawley unveils federal bill to ban mifepristone and pressure FDA approval.
- Bill would curtail medication abortion, which was ~63% of 2023 abortions.
- Proposal raises Hawley’s national profile and pressures the Trump administration.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Wednesday announced legislation that would enact a federal ban on mifepristone, a common form of medication abortion.
The legislation, which is not yet available online, is part of the Missouri Republican’s effort to pressure Congress and the Trump administration into stripping the drug’s U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval.
“It is time for Congress to do something about this racket — and it is a racket,” Hawley said at a press conference in Washington, Wednesday afternoon. “It is time for Congress to ban the use of mifepristone for abortion.”
The legislation comes as Hawley has cast himself as a face of anti-abortion causes both in Missouri and nationally. As some national Republicans struggle to navigate their positions on abortion, Hawley — rumored as a potential presidential candidate in 2028 — has tied himself closely to efforts to clamp down on the procedure.
Hawley’s decision to pursue a federal ban also appears to be at odds with Republican messaging in the wake of the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the federal right to abortion and returned the issue to the states.
Medication abortion plays a critical role in access to the procedure nationwide and Hawley’s legislation could dramatically curtail access. Abortion medications were used in about 63% of all abortions in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
But Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California-Davis who closely follows legal fights over abortion access, said in an interview that Hawley’s legislation would likely face an uphill battle in Congress.
Ziegler framed the bill as part of Hawley’s aspirations for higher office and a way to pressure the Trump administration into taking action on medication abortion.
“There’s definitely been some Republicans who are prioritizing the issue more than others,” said Ziegler. “And Hawley, I think, has been trying to make himself the face of the cohort that cares about the issue.”
The legislation also comes amid a separate fight in Hawley’s home state of Missouri. Voters are gearing up for a statewide vote in November that would ban nearly all abortions, a retaliatory response from Republican lawmakers after a historic election in 2024 legalized access to the procedure.
Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said in a statement that Hawley had “no business trying to insert himself” into private decisions between families and doctors.
“Missourians just voted to end the ban and legalize abortion care,” Schwarz said. “Missourians want MORE access to abortion care, not less.”
While that 2024 vote legalized the procedure, medication abortions are still inaccessible inside state lines. Abortion rights supporters are awaiting a court ruling that could expand access to both medication and procedural abortions.
Hawley, and his wife, Erin Morrow Hawley, a prominent anti-abortion lawyer, late last year launched a new dark money group designed to promote anti-abortion ballot measures across the country.
