2026-10-04 · contested story
Today in History: September 28, US government approves abortion pill RU-486 - Hartford Courant
This collection of 40 sources spans more than three decades of conflict over mifepristone (originally RU-486), the drug at the center of medication abortion in the US. The FDA approved it in 2000, and it now accounts for roughly two-thirds of US abortions. The sources cluster around several flashpoints: the drug's French origins and early US import ban (Washington Post), the 2023 Texas ruling by Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspending FDA approval (NBC, NTD, NY Post, Just the News, CBS/HuffPost), the 2024 unanimous Supreme Court ruling rejecting a challenge on standing grounds (NY Post, Fox), the 2025 FDA approval of a new generic and RFK Jr.'s announced safety review (PBS, US News, Scientific American), Josh Hawley's 2026 bill to strip FDA approval (NY Post, Fox), and a 2026 Louisiana/Supreme Court dispute over mail and telehealth access (Newsmax, NY Post). A large secondary cluster covers the 2026 'Baby Gabriel' Texas surrogacy case, which touches abortion but is a distinct story.
How each side frames it
left
"there is every reason to fear that this study will be a cherry-picking, data-contorting exercise designed to support a predetermined conclusion of lack of safety."
"Years of research show that mifepristone is extremely safe and effective when used in a two-drug regimen with another drug called misoprostol. When used together, mifepristone and misoprostol are more than 95% effective and safer than Tylenol."
"That report has serious methodological flaws, says Ushma Upadhyay... who dismisses it as “junk science.”"
"The FDA, not the judiciary, is tasked... undergoes an extensive and stringent review process for all drugs and has reevaluated the safety of mifepristone at least four times... each time concluding that it is safe."
"This does not just affect women in Texas — if it stands, it would prevent women in every state from accessing the medication... It is the next big step toward the national ban on abortion that Republican elected officials have vowed to make law in America."
center
"the drug, which was approved in 2000 and has repeatedly been deemed safe and effective by FDA scientists."
"The decision is “extremely disappointing” but not a defeat, said Gavin Oxley, a spokesperson for the anti-abortion advocacy group Americans United for Life."
"Contracts usually include language where parents and surrogates agree on issues of medical care and when or how to end a pregnancy, but she said “those are aspirational, not enforceable in court.”"
"The couple... have denied in court filings that they intended to refuse surgery once the child was born."
"The ruling was an interim protective order concerning the baby's treatment and location after birth. It was not a final ruling on who has parental custody or whether West can be compelled to terminate the pregnancy."
right
"Mifepristone... is part of a chemical abortion process designed to kill an unborn child in pregnancies up to 10 weeks."
"We’ve known for years that mifepristone is risky, but it’s really just in the last few years that we’ve learned that this drug is inherently dangerous and it is inherently prone to abuse"
"By illegally approving dangerous chemical abortion drugs, the FDA put women and girls in harm’s way, and it’s high time the agency is held accountable for its reckless actions"
"FDA acquiesced on its legitimate safety concerns—in violation of its statutory duty—based on plainly unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions."
"are not entitled to the court’s action to spare them “lost profits from their criminal enterprise.”"
What each side left out
The right left out — covered by the Scientific American & New York Post
- The FDA's own estimate that the adverse-effect rate is around 0.5%
- That the EPPC study was not peer-reviewed and misclassifies routine follow-ups as serious adverse events
The right left out — covered by the HuffPost & The Damage Report (CBS) & NBC News
- That no court had ever before overruled an FDA drug approval, and the systemic risk to the drug-approval process
The left left out — covered by the New York Post
- Specific testimony from women who report serious complications (e.g., Shanyce Thomas, who described an ICU stay and blood transfusions)
The left left out — covered by the New York Post & Newsmax
- The Comstock Act argument and the view that mailing pills into ban states is a legal violation
The center left out — covered by the The Washington Post & HuffPost
- Deeper historical/scientific context on how mifepristone works and its decades of international use
The right left out — covered by the New York Post & Fox News
- The 2024 Supreme Court ruling was unanimous (9-0) and based on lack of standing, not merits — some right coverage frames challenges more favorably than this outcome suggests
What's actually true?
[verified] The FDA first approved mifepristone in 2000 for use in medication abortion.
[verified] Medication abortion (mifepristone + misoprostol) accounted for roughly two-thirds of US abortions in 2023, up from 53% in 2020.
[verified] In April 2023, Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk suspended the FDA's approval of mifepristone, an unprecedented action against an FDA drug approval.
[verified] In 2024 the Supreme Court unanimously rejected the challenge to mifepristone, finding the anti-abortion doctors lacked standing to sue.
[verified] The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) brought the Texas lawsuit (Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v. FDA) alleging the FDA did not adequately review safety risks in its 2000 approval.
[verified] In October 2025 the FDA approved a second generic version of mifepristone from Evita Solutions, prompting backlash from anti-abortion groups and Sen. Josh Hawley.
[verified] RFK Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary pledged in a September 2025 letter to conduct a full review of mifepristone's safety.
[contested] The EPPC study cited by Hawley claiming an 11% serious adverse event rate has faced criticism over its methodology; the FDA estimates adverse effects at around 0.5%.
The narrative clash
Safety and adverse-event rate of mifepristone
Left: More than 100 studies published over the past few decades have shown that the drug... is safe and effective... The FDA estimates that the rate of adverse effects from mifepristone is around 0.5%.
Right: citing a study that found 11% of 875,000 analyzed mifepristone prescriptions for abortion led to “serious adverse health” issues
Legitimacy of the Kacsmaryk ruling against FDA approval
Left: You have a federal judge who has zero scientific background second guessing every scientific decision that the FDA made.
Right: FDA acquiesced on its legitimate safety concerns—in violation of its statutory duty—based on plainly unsound reasoning and studies that did not support its conclusions.
Whether the Baby Gabriel parents intended to refuse surgery
Left: The couple... have denied in court filings that they intended to refuse surgery once the child was born... “That is not and has never been our position,” Ahmed wrote.
Right: the intended parents indicated they would refuse the life-saving surgery Gabriel needs after birth.
Is the drug safe?
Left: Decades of research show mifepristone, taken with misoprostol, is highly effective and very safe.
Right: Newer evidence shows the drug is inherently dangerous and prone to abuse.
Was the FDA's approval process lawful and rigorous?
Left: The FDA ran a stringent review, has re-checked the drug at least four times, and judges should not overrule that expertise.
Right: The FDA ignored its own safety concerns and broke its legal duty by relying on weak studies.
40 sources analyzed
The Washington Post NTD New York Post U.S. News & World Report New York Post Scientific American Newsmax HuffPost Center for American Progress Washington Examiner New York Post Just The News The Damage Report Yahoo PBS NewsHour NBC News Fox News New York Post Fox News Washington Times The Hill The Times National Catholic Register Fox News The Root wng.org National Review National Desk kxan.com Fox News The Catholic Herald The Telegraph CBS News Texas Alliance for Life New York Post thetexan.news EWTN News CNN The Texas Tribune The Guardian