A leading pro-life organization has threatened legal action against the FDA, alleging it failed to conduct necessary environmental assessments of the abortion drug mifepristone, raising concerns about its impact on wildlife and waterways.
A prominent pro-life group, Students for Life of America (SFLA), has formally threatened to sue the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The organization claims the agency neglected to perform required environmental testing on the abortion drug mifepristone, despite potential risks to waterways and wildlife.
The notice of intent to sue was filed on Thursday, just hours before Dr. Heidi Overton is set to appear before the Senate for her confirmation hearing to lead the FDA. According to SFLA, after the FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, it failed to consult with two wildlife protection agencies regarding the drug’s potential harmful effects on federally protected species, which the group argues is a violation of the Endangered Species Act.
“We expect these environmental concerns to be taken seriously. I know Dr. Overton is aware of these concerns. Or we expect to see the Trump FDA in court. That’s where this will end,” said SFLA President Kristan Hawkins in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Hawkins noted that the FDA has 60 days to respond to SFLA’s notice before a lawsuit is filed. Prior to this notice, the organization had submitted 11 citizen petitions urging the agency to take action.
In response to one of those petitions on January 15, 2025—just five days before President Donald Trump began his second term—the FDA rejected SFLA’s legal argument, stating it was not required to consult with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or the National Marine Fisheries Service before approving mifepristone.
The notice from SFLA references six studies, four of which did not specifically investigate the presence of mifepristone in environmental water samples. Among the studies cited is a recent paper published in *Issues in Law & Medicine*, which reported anti-progesterone activity in water samples from three U.S. cities.
Because mifepristone blocks progesterone receptors, preventing the hormone necessary for sustaining a pregnancy from functioning, SFLA argues that the findings indicate the drug has entered the U.S. water supply. “Where do all the babies go in chemical abortions?” Hawkins questioned. “If we’re talking 600,000 to 700,000 abortions a year being induced with chemical abortion pills, where are they happening? She doesn’t go to a facility to complete the abortion. The abortion often takes weeks at home. She is told to go and sit on a toilet to flush.”
However, the study did not directly detect mifepristone in the water. Instead, it sought signs of substances that block progesterone, and the researchers indicated that another compound could have produced similar results. Confirming the presence of mifepristone would typically require advanced analytical chemistry techniques capable of identifying the substance itself.
Hawkins emphasized that the legal notice against the FDA is not based on a single study but rather on the agency’s failure to adhere to legal requirements in 2000. “This should be something that unites all Americans, regardless of how you feel about the violence of abortion. I certainly am pro-life; I want to see abortion ended. But we all want clean drinking water,” she stated.
Hawkins mentioned that this message has resonated even with students who may disagree with her organization’s position on abortion. SFLA boasts a strong presence on college campuses, with 1,575 active student groups across nearly half of America’s traditional four-year universities.
With new leadership at the FDA on the horizon, Hawkins expressed her organization’s intention to remind the agency of its responsibilities. “Today, Dr. Heidi Overton will be at the U.S. Senate,” she said. “And we want to be very clear that when she gets to her desk, when she gets confirmed and she sits down, the first thing she sees on her desk is our notice of intent to sue.”
“It is high time to hold the abortion industry accountable and to hold our government accountable for upholding our own laws that have been enacted to protect all of us as well as the animals within our country,” she added.
According to Fox News, the situation continues to unfold as SFLA prepares for potential legal action against the FDA.