U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, led a hearing focused on the risks associated with chemical abortion drugs. This was the committee's first hearing in 2026 and marked the first pro-life hearing by any congressional committee this session.
During his opening remarks, Dr. Cassidy stated, “Scientifically and morally, there is no difference in the value of a child whether she is in her mother’s arms, or she is in her mother’s womb.” He added that testimony would be heard about the dangers of mifepristone and highlighted concerns over potential complications for women who use these drugs.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill testified at the hearing about cases involving mail-ordered abortion drugs. She shared accounts from Louisiana where women were coerced or drugged with abortion pills without proper medical oversight. “A few examples from Louisiana include a woman who was coerced to abort her wanted baby. Multiple elements of that by partners or parents,” said Attorney General Murrill. “A pregnant woman who took pills that Margaret Carpenter from New York mailed to her at 20 weeks' gestation and ended up in the emergency room while her baby was left in a dumpster. Another 20-week-old pregnancy. The baby was found recovered in a toilet.”
Attorney General Murrill further stated, “Activists have created an organized and dangerous scheme of drug dealing protected by politicians. These are not medical standards. There are no medical standards in any state that sanction such irresponsible actions by a medical professional. And political preferences do not justify placing women at such medical risk.”
Cassidy and other Republican members called on Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary to complete their promised safety review of mifepristone.
In his prepared speech, Cassidy emphasized his background as a physician: “I’m a doctor. I took an oath to protect my patients. But when someone is pregnant, you have two patients. Both must be considered with absolute care and concern.” He reiterated his position that “the science is clear” regarding when life begins and expressed opposition to normalizing abortion procedures.
He cited studies indicating significant pain experienced by women using chemical abortion drugs and noted reports of serious adverse events such as hemorrhaging, sepsis, or infection following mifepristone use.
Cassidy also criticized regulatory changes made during previous administrations regarding reporting requirements for adverse events related to abortion drugs and removal of the in-person dispensing requirement for mifepristone prescriptions.
He pointed out public support for requiring a doctor's visit before prescribing chemical abortion drugs: “A recent poll found that 71 percent of Americans, including 67 percent of those who identify as pro-choice, support requiring a doctor’s visit for the chemical abortion drug to be prescribed.”
The hearing included testimony from Dr. Monique Wubbenhorst on medical aspects of abortion pills and distinctions between treatment for miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy versus elective abortion.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee oversees federal agencies involved in health research and workplace safety through its subcommittees (official website). The committee works on legislation related to public health issues—including oversight responsibilities over agencies like the FDA—and influences regulations affecting health across the United States (official website). In this Congress, Bill Cassidy serves as chair (official website).
The HELP Committee continues its role providing oversight on federal laws impacting health policy (official website).
