Josh Hawley Questions HHS Nominee Dr. O'Neal on Mifepristone Safety and Conscience Protections

Mifepristone Safety Study Findings

• 📊 A recent study of 865,727 prescribed mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023 revealed startling results.
• ⚠️ 10.93% of women experienced a major serious adverse health event, such as sepsis, infection, or hemorrhaging, often requiring emergency room visits.
• 📈 This rate is 22 times higher than what the FDA currently reports, highlighting a significant discrepancy.

FDA Reporting and Safety Protocols

• 🚨 In light of the new data, there's a call to reinstate FDA reporting requirements for serious adverse health events, which were eliminated in 2016.
• 🔍 The FDA has a responsibility to review new data, and mifepristone requires periodic safety review.
• 📜 The nominee committed to supporting a thorough safety review of mifepristone by the secretary, taking this new data into account.
• ⚖️ There is also a discussion about reinstating long-standing safety protocols for mifepristone, including physician dispensing and in-person follow-up visits, which were eliminated by the Biden administration.

Conscience Protections for Healthcare Providers

• 🤝 The nominee previously worked on conscience protection rules for healthcare providers in a Bush administration.
• ✅ The nominee stated that if the secretary and president decide to reinstate conscience protections, they would know how to implement them and would advise them to do so.
• 🗣️ Both the secretary and the president have previously expressed support for conscience protections.