Senator Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is renewing his call for a nationwide ban on the abortion drug mifepristone, arguing that expanded access has turned “every mailbox in America into a Planned Parenthood.”

Hawley made the comments while appearing with his wife, Erin Hawley, at the Family Research Council’s Pray Vote Stand Summit, held Sept. 24-26 at Cornerstone Chapel in Leesburg, Virginia. At the summit, the Missouri senator called on Congress to pass legislation banning Mifepristone and urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to complete its ongoing review of the drug.

“If you are pro-life, you cannot be for the abortion drug,” Hawley said. “It is turning every mailbox in America into a Planned Parenthood. We cannot allow this to go on. We need to ban it.”

Hawley has been pushing the issue in Congress for months. In March, he introduced the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, legislation that would withdraw FDA approval of mifepristone for terminating pregnancies and establish a legal avenue for women allegedly harmed by chemical abortion drugs to seek damages.

During the summit, Hawley also challenged the safety of mifepristone, claiming more than one in 10 women who take the drug are sent to an emergency room with a life-threatening condition.

That figure is disputed. Current FDA labeling cites clinical studies in which emergency-room visits following the mifepristone-misoprostol regimen occurred in 2.9% to 4.6% of participants in the U.S. studies reporting that measure, while hospitalization related to medication abortion ranged from 0.04% to 0.6%. Abortion-rights organizations also maintain that extensive research supports mifepristone’s safety and effectiveness.

The political fight over the drug has intensified since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Changes made by the FDA have allowed certified pharmacies to dispense mifepristone and enabled eligible patients to receive the drug by mail, making medication abortion a major focus for pro-life advocates seeking to limit abortion after Dobbs.

Hawley argues that those policies have undermined state abortion restrictions.

“The only way to make the Dobbs decision that overturned Roe … real is to ban the abortion drug in the United States of America,” he told the summit.

The senator’s latest remarks also increase pressure on the Trump administration, as the FDA continues to face questions about its promised review of mifepristone. At last week’s Senate confirmation hearing, FDA commissioner nominee Dr. Heidi Overton faced questioning about the drug, as debate continues over whether existing restrictions should be changed.

For pro-life groups supporting Hawley’s legislation, the issue has become a major priority in the post-Roe era. Several national organizations, including Family Research Council, Alliance Defending Freedom, March for Life Action and National Right to Life, have backed his proposed legislation.