JUNE 20, 2026
Washington Examiner opinion column argues mifepristone debate should center on fetal life, not only maternal safety data
An opinion column published in the Washington Examiner, written by Clare Ath of the Human Coalition, argues that policy debates over chemical abortion drugs inadequately address what the author describes as the death of a developing human being. The piece cites a study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center analyzing insurance claims from 865,727 mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023, which found more than 1 in 10 women experienced a serious adverse event within 45 days. The author calls on the FDA to reinstate in-person dispensing requirements and on Congress to mandate fuller adverse event reporting.
A Washington Examiner opinion column by Clare Ath, identified as senior policy analyst at the Human Coalition, one of the country's largest anti-abortion organizations, argues that debates over mifepristone safety are incomplete without a direct reckoning with what she describes as the drug's primary purpose: ending a developing human life.
The column draws on a study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center, which the author describes as the largest of its kind, analyzing insurance claims from 865,727 mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023. According to the piece, the study found that more than 1 in 10 women who took the drug suffered a serious adverse event — including sepsis, hemorrhage, and life-threatening infection — within 45 days. Ath stated the real-world serious adverse event rate is "at least 22 times higher" than what appears on the drug's label.
Ath argued that the FDA dismantled safety requirements that previously required in-person dispensing, and that abortion drugs are now available by mail "to anyone who orders them, including abusive men." She called for the FDA to reinstate dispensing protocols, for manufacturers to report adverse events fully, and for Congress to demand accountability.