This bill nullifies FDA changes made in January 2023 that allowed certified retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone (the abortion pill). It would restore in-person dispensing requirements, prohibit FDA enforcement discretion on mifepristone rules, and prevent reduction of REMS protections until all states report abortion data to the CDC. The bill also prohibits declaring public health emergencies related to abortions.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
AI Summary
Plain-English explanation of this bill
This bill nullifies FDA changes made in January 2023 that allowed certified retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone (the abortion pill). It would restore in-person dispensing requirements, prohibit FDA enforcement discretion on mifepristone rules, and prevent reduction of REMS protections until all states report abortion data to the CDC. The bill also prohibits declaring public health emergencies related to abortions.
Last updated: 12/30/2025
Official Summary
Congressional Research Service summary
<p><strong>Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act</strong></p><p>This bill nullifies certain changes made by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dispensing requirements for mifepristone. (Mifepristone is a drug that is approved to end pregnancies through 10 weeks gestation when used in conjunction with the drug misoprostol. The procedure is often referred to as medication abortion or the abortion pill.)</p><p>The FDA regulates mifepristone through the Mifepristone Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program. The program requires health care providers to comply with certain requirements in order to prescribe or dispense mifepristone to end a pregnancy; the program previously included an in-person dispensing requirement that required mifepristone to be directly dispensed to patients in clinics, medical offices, or hospitals. During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the FDA stopped enforcing the in-person dispensing requirement, which allowed mail-order pharmacies to fill and dispense mifepristone prescriptions.</p><p>In January 2023, the FDA modified program requirements so as to (1) remove the in-person dispensing requirement, and (2) require pharmacies to be program-certified in order to dispense mifepristone. The modifications allow certified retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone pursuant to prescriptions that are written by certified prescribers.</p><p>The bill nullifies the January 2023 changes and prohibits the FDA from (1) exercising any enforcement discretion with respect to program requirements, or (2) reducing program protections until every state submits certain data regarding abortions to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>The bill also generally prohibits the declaration of a public health emergency with respect to abortions.</p><p> </p>
Key Points
Main provisions of the bill
Nullifies 2023 FDA changes allowing pharmacy dispensing of mifepristone
Restores in-person dispensing requirement at clinics/hospitals
Prohibits FDA enforcement discretion on mifepristone REMS
Conditions any REMS changes on state abortion data reporting to CDC
Prohibits public health emergency declarations regarding abortions
Affects medication abortion access through 10 weeks gestation
How This Impacts Americans
Potential effects on citizens and communities
This bill would significantly restrict access to medication abortion, which accounts for over half of U.S. abortions. Restoring in-person dispensing would eliminate mail-order pharmacy access and require patients to visit clinics or hospitals. In states where abortion remains legal, this would increase travel burdens, wait times, and costs. The bill represents a federal effort to restrict abortion access even in permissive states through FDA regulatory reversal rather than direct prohibition.
Policy Areas
Primary Policy Area
Health
Related Subjects
Abortion
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug therapy
Government information and archives
Health information and medical records
Prescription drugs
Scope & Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Level
federal
Congressional Session
119th Congress
Citation Reference
1525, 119th Congress (2025). "Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act". Source: Voter's Right Platform. https://votersright.org/bills/118-hr-1525
