Despite Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announcing that the agency would consider modifying the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy requirements for mifepristone, a drug utilized in chemical abortions, the FDA has approved a generic abortion pill from Evita Solutions, LLC. “We have determined your Mifepristone Tablets, 200 mg to be bioequivalent and therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug (RLD), Mifeprex (mifepristone) tablets, 200 mg, of Danco Laboratories,” the FDA said in a letter to Evita Solutions.

Abortion pills have become a particular sticking point for pro-life advocates since the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. Since it was overturned, mail order abortion pills have increased, with abortion doctors providing mailing services to those in states that have recently prohibited abortion. So-called Shield Laws currently protect doctors in states with permissive abortion laws who send abortion pills to states that are more restrictive. To date, chemical abortions make up about two thirds of all abortions.

Conservatives, who had expressed concern over RFK’s nomination as HHS Secretary due to his history of supporting abortion, were swift to call out the move, calling it a “true failure.” “The Trump Administration’s approval of a new and deadly generic version of Mifepristone, without doing anything to protect mothers from abusers, women from reckless distribution leading to injury, infertility, and even death, or the environment from abortion water pollution, represents a true failure,” wrote Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life. She called on the current administration to overturn the pro-abortion policies of previous administrations. “More babies will die; More women will be harmed; and More Americans exposed to Abortion Water Pollution as a direct result of this unfathomable decision. This is a stain on the Trump Presidency and another sign that the deep state at the FDA must go.”

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America called the approval “unconscionable.” “This reckless decision by the FDA to expand the availability of abortion drugs is unconscionable. These dangerous drugs take the lives of unborn children, place women and underage girls at serious risk, empower abusers, and trample the pro-life laws enacted by states across the nation,” she wrote in a statement. She warned of the dangers of abortion pills and called on the administration to review them for safety. HHS Communications Director Andrew Nixon defended the approval, stating, “the FDA has very limited discretion in deciding whether to approve a generic drug,” and that “By law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services must approve an application if it demonstrates that the generic drug is identical to the brand-name drug.” Nixon also confirmed that the drug is still being reviewed for safety. “HHS is conducting a study of the reported adverse effects of mifepristone to ensure the FDA’s risk mitigation program for the drug is sufficient to protect women from unstated risks.”