The GOP’s War on Mifepristone Is a War on Women
Politicians are using junk science and corporate pressure to block a safe, essential medication. As an OB-GYN, I’ve seen the deadly consequences firsthand.
By Dr. Kristin Lyerly
I’m Dr. Kristin Lyerly, an obstetrician-gynecologist, mom of four sons, former candidate for U.S. Congress in Wisconsin’s 8th District, and Board Chair of the Committee to Protect Health Care. I’ve delivered babies, cared for women at Planned Parenthood, and crossed state lines after Roe v. Wade was overturned to practice in a rural community just to keep my patients safe. I’ve seen firsthand the deadly consequences of Republican attacks on reproductive freedom — and I refuse to let politicians play games with women’s lives. Women deserve better: compassionate, evidence-based care and the freedom to make their own health decisions. Not political games.
A new front in the abortion fight
This summer, the national fight over reproductive freedom has zeroed in on one medication: mifepristone. Approved by the FDA in 2000, it’s part of a two-drug regimen used in more than half of all abortions in America. It’s safe, effective, and has been studied for decades. I’ve prescribed it myself, not just for abortion care, but to help women manage miscarriages and avoid dangerous complications.
And yet, Republicans are waging a coordinated campaign to ban it.
First, the FDA has agreed to “review the latest data” on mifepristone, under pressure, despite having reaffirmed its safety repeatedly for 25 years. That review isn’t about science. It’s about politics — and it opens the door to further restrictions designed to placate extremists, not protect patients.
In West Virginia, a federal appeals court recently upheld the state’s near-total ban on mifepristone — the first time a federal court has allowed a state to override FDA approval of a drug. That ruling doesn’t just threaten abortion care. It sets a dangerous precedent: if states can nullify FDA approval for political reasons, every medication — from vaccines to cancer treatments — could be at risk.
And now, Costco just announced it will not sell mifepristone at its pharmacies after pressure from anti-abortion groups. Their decision wasn’t about science or medicine — it was about politics and shareholder campaigns orchestrated by conservative activists. Meanwhile, more than 20 Republican attorneys general sent a letter to federal officials demanding the return of outdated restrictions on the drug, citing debunked “studies” that inflate risks and ignore decades of evidence.
Junk science versus real medicine
As a doctor, I can tell you this: mifepristone is safe. Serious complications occur in less than 0.3 percent of cases — far lower than everyday medications like Tylenol. But Republicans and their allies are pushing junk science to confuse the public and mislead the courts.
Groups like the Ethics and Public Policy Center and the Charlotte Lozier Institute have published flawed reports claiming 1 in 10 women experience “serious adverse events.” They count normal bleeding, routine follow-up care, and even unrelated ectopic pregnancies as complications. These papers aren’t peer-reviewed, often get retracted, and rely on cherry-picked or undisclosed data — in other words, they’re meaningless. But they’re good enough for politicians looking to build a false case against reproductive freedom.
Meanwhile, decades of rigorous, peer-reviewed research — including more than 100 studies — show mifepristone is safe and effective. That’s why the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, and nearly every mainstream medical organization stand firmly behind it.
These papers aren’t peer-reviewed, often get retracted, and rely on cherry-picked or undisclosed data. But they’re good enough for politicians looking to build a false case against reproductive freedom.
This isn’t about safety. It’s about control.
The consequences for women
When politicians block access to mifepristone, it’s not just abortion that’s at risk. These medications are also critical tools for managing miscarriages and treating other life-threatening complications.
I’ve seen what happens when care is delayed. I’ve cared for women arriving at the hospital hemorrhaging from a miscarriage, scared and confused, because laws in their state made doctors second-guess whether they could legally help. In Wisconsin, after Roe was overturned, I had to leave my state and practice in Minnesota just to keep taking care of patients — delivering babies, managing miscarriages, and ensuring that women in underserved communities had access to care - without fear of prosecution.
Banning mifepristone won’t stop women from needing it. It will only make their situations more dangerous.
In Texas, where lawmakers are pushing new bills to target abortion pills, maternal mortality has risen dramatically. Doctors fear using misoprostol — a drug that saves women’s lives after childbirth — because it’s also used in abortion care. That’s what happens when ideology, not evidence, drives health policy.
Let me be clear: banning mifepristone won’t stop women from needing it. It will only make their situations more dangerous.
What’s really at stake
The fight over mifepristone is about more than one pill. It’s about whether politicians get to decide what medical care you can receive. It’s about whether junk science can override real science. It’s about whether extremist groups can bully companies, regulators, and courts into rolling back decades of progress in women’s health.
And it’s about the ripple effects:
If a state can ban an FDA-approved abortion medication, what stops it from banning contraception?
If the FDA caves to political pressure here, what happens when the next drug under attack is a lifesaving vaccine?
If companies like Costco fold under pressure, what message does that send to other providers about offering essential medications?
We’re at a crossroads. Either we defend evidence-based medicine and women’s right to care, or we allow politicians to dictate what happens in exam rooms and pharmacies across America.
We’re at a crossroads. Either we defend evidence-based medicine and women’s right to care, or we allow politicians to dictate what happens in exam rooms and pharmacies across America.
We’re not going back
I became a doctor because I believe every woman deserves compassionate, evidence-based care. I ran for Congress because I saw firsthand how Republican policies hurt my patients. And I’m speaking out now because mifepristone is the latest casualty in a political war that treats women’s lives as bargaining chips.
Republicans want to drag us backward — to a world where women suffer in silence, where doctors fear saving lives, and where ideology trumps science. But I’ve delivered babies, I’ve comforted patients in crisis, and I know one truth they can’t erase: women are not machines, and we are not political pawns.
We deserve better. And we’re not going back.
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