Senate Democrats showed exactly where their priorities lie on Wednesday—and it wasn’t with women’s safety. During a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing titled Protecting Women: Exposing the Dangers of Chemical Abortion Drugs, Democrats repeatedly downplayed the physical dangers and abuse risks tied to mail-order mifepristone, choosing instead to push their long-running goal of abortion on demand, no questions asked.
HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy and his Republican colleagues used the hearing to renew calls for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to finally do its job and review mifepristone honestly. Cassidy said the FDA should “immediately” reinstate basic safeguards, including in-person doctor visits before dispensing abortion pills. A radical idea, apparently—having a doctor actually see a patient. Cassidy’s position aligns with growing demands from House and Senate Republicans and pro-life organizations urging the FDA to roll back Biden-era expansions that allow abortion pills to be obtained through the mail or pharmacies with little to no medical oversight.
Democrats responded not with data, but with talking points. Sen. Tammy Baldwin framed the hearing as part of a supposed Republican plot for a national abortion ban. Sen. Maggie Hassan dismissed concerns about coercion and abuse, claiming such violence is simply “a longstanding part of human history.” Comforting words, no doubt, for women facing real pressure and danger today. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks went further, accusing Republicans of not caring about humans while scolding them for “lecturing about the safety of women.” Irony clearly wasn’t on the agenda.
Sen. Patty Murray took the performance up another notch, labeling Republicans “anti-choice extremists” and calling questions about abortion pills contaminating tap water “crazy.” She also suggested that the FDA’s approval of a generic version of mifepristone somehow proves the drug is safe. Because bureaucracy has never gotten anything wrong before—right?
Despite testimony, studies, and documented cases showing mail-order mifepristone has harmed women and babies, Democrats—led by Ranking Member Bernie Sanders—insisted the pills are “safe and effective” and acted as though the science is settled. Convenient, especially when the facts refuse to cooperate.
Democrats’ chosen witness, Dr. Nisha Verma of Physicians for Reproductive Health, claimed chemical abortions via telehealth are just as safe as those prescribed after in-person exams and ultrasounds. Yet when pressed twice on whether men can get pregnant, Verma declined to answer. Sen. Josh Hawley reminded her this wasn’t theoretical, noting she had been presented as an expert who follows science and evidence. The silence spoke volumes.
Actual evidence tells a different story. A study by Dr. Cameron Louttit of the Charlotte Lozier Institute found claims that mifepristone is safer than over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen are “wholly unfounded.” Dr. Monique Chireau Wubbenhorst, another OB-GYN witness, put it even more plainly: mifepristone carries risks during routine use, while Tylenol does not have a black box warning and is only dangerous when misused. That comparison alone should end the debate—but only if facts still matter.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also testified, identifying mifepristone as a dangerous drug that has harmed women in her state. She warned that Democrats’ abortion pill expansions are designed to “circumvent Dobbs” and said that without restored FDA safeguards, efforts to protect women and hold abortion pill traffickers accountable will be nearly impossible. Wubbenhorst further urged enforcement of existing laws like the Comstock Act, another reminder that many of these protections already exist—they’re just being ignored.
This hearing made one thing clear: Republicans are fighting to protect women with science, oversight, and accountability, while Democrats are defending an abortion agenda at all costs. Under President Trump’s America First leadership, that contrast couldn’t be sharper. Truth, biology, and women’s safety are back at the center of the conversation—and that’s a fight worth continuing, with optimism and confidence that common sense will ultimately win.
