U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.), a seasoned pro-life leader in Congress, is forging policy solutions to protect women in the post-Roe v. Wade era. As pro-abortion activists turn attention to chemical abortion following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization outcome, Congresswoman Walorski is working to expose the facts and ensure that American women know the truth about abortion pills and their risks.
Earlier this spring, Congresswoman Walorski introduced H.R. 6702, the Safeguarding Women’s and Children’s Health Act of 2022, to require more accurate reporting of abortion drug prescribing and related adverse side effects and events.
“With Roe relegated to the history books, radical pro-abortion activists are increasingly pushing chemical abortion as their next frontier. Before the Biden Administration’s FDA allows abortion by mail to become a dangerous norm, American women deserve to know the true cost of these drugs,” said Congresswoman Walorski. “While pro-abortion activists make promises about ease and safety, too many of the risks are unknown. Women who take abortion pills are ending up in emergency rooms – or worse – due to dangerous side effects. To safeguard women’s lives, I am fighting to strengthen transparency at the FDA and ensure that Americans have clear access to the truth.”
Current law lacks mandatory reporting of abortion drug adverse events, leaving accurate statistics and data unknown. The Safeguarding Women’s and Children’s Health Act would require health care providers – including abortion providers and the emergency medical professionals who most often treat women following a botched chemical abortion – to report any death or adverse event related to abortion drugs to both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the drug manufacturer. It would also require that all information compiled on these drugs be made publicly and easily accessible on the FDA’s website.
Congresswoman Walorski’s commonsense legislation has earned the support of more than 30 fellow House Republicans, including House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Republican Study Committee Chair Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.). Additionally, it has garnered the support of prominent pro-life groups, including Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, Family Research Council, National Right to Life, and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Chemical abortion drugs endanger women’s health and safety as well as the lives of countless unborn children. Real-world data shows the rate at which abortion pills send women to the emergency room has increased more than 500 percent since the early 2000s – more than 20 women have even died. Under Obama and now Biden, safety standards and data on life-threatening complications have been deliberately weakened and every effort made to expand mail-order abortion drugs while downplaying the risks. We thank Congresswoman Walorski for exposing this reckless agenda and continually standing up for women and children,” said Hon. Marilyn Musgrave, VP of Gov Affairs, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America.
“The pro-abortion movement is dishonest about the impact of chemical abortion on a woman’s physical and mental health. Our own federal government does little to keep track of the health complications related to chemical abortion, with only states and independent researchers documenting the dangers of this drug. Thanks to the leadership of Rep. Walorski we have the opportunity to collect more complete and transparent data on just how abortion drugs negatively impact the women who take them,” said Mary Szoch, Director of the Center for Human Dignity, Family Research Council.
“National Right to Life commends Rep. Jackie Walorski on introducing the Safeguarding Women’s and Children’s Health Act of 2022. This important legislation would strengthen much needed reporting on the complications associated with chemical abortion drugs. With the rapid shift toward chemical abortions, the current reporting requirements of complications associated with them, particularly with the newly authorized telemedical abortions, are woefully inadequate. We applaud the Congresswoman for her commitment to protecting not only unborn children, but also their mothers,” said Carol Tobias, President, National Right to Life.
Article provided for Representative Walorski’s Office
