A pro-life organization has uncovered a troubling spike in abortions, pinning the blame squarely on a Biden-era FDA policy that’s turned telehealth into a pipeline for abortion pills.
The Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF), a pro-life group, released a report obtained by Fox News Digital detailing a nationwide increase in abortions since 2020. The report ties this rise to a Biden administration FDA policy, introduced as a COVID-era measure, which permits abortion pills to be prescribed via telehealth and shipped by mail. ROAF estimates this policy facilitates over 500 mail-order chemical abortions daily, based on data from Guttmacher and WeCount.
Chemical abortions, per the report, made up 63% of all abortions in 2023, a sharp climb from 39% in 2017. The policy’s impact is clear: ROAF projects about 170,000 more abortions in 2024 than if 2019 rates had held steady. In 2019, when mail-order abortions were explicitly illegal, total abortions were estimated at 916,460.
Now, let’s dig into the heart of this mess. Critics of the Biden policy argue it’s a reckless abandonment of women’s safety, scrapping a 20-year-old rule requiring in-person doctor visits for mifepristone prescriptions.
This isn’t just about numbers; it’s about lives. ROAF’s data shows a 22% jump in abortions from 2019 to 2024, while U.S. population growth lagged at just 2.9%. That’s a glaring mismatch, and it’s hard to ignore the role of mail-order drugs in driving this trend.
According to Fox News, even in states where abortion is restricted post-Roe v. Wade’s 2022 overturn, over 120,000 pills were shipped into these areas in 2024, per WeCount data. Shield laws in Democrat-led states are blocking GOP efforts to crack down on these providers. It’s a legal loophole that’s undermining state sovereignty.
The FDA under Biden justified this shift with weak studies, despite mandatory reporting of mifepristone complications being gutted in 2016. A 2021 research paper called the safety evaluation system “inadequate,” yet the in-person requirement remains suspended.
ROAF CEO Doug Truax isn’t mincing words on the danger. “There's about 150 women a day that are being seriously harmed by this drug,” he warned, pointing to risks like sepsis and hemorrhaging. “We need to get them to go see the doctor.”
Truax also highlighted the deception fueling this crisis. “People are calling up and saying whatever they need to say to get the drug in the mail,” he said. This free-for-all approach is a disaster waiting to happen.
Legal challenges to this policy have run into roadblocks: the Supreme Court ruled that plaintiffs lacked standing, while the Fifth Circuit deemed the FDA’s action likely “arbitrary and capricious.” Republican lawmakers and state officials are now pressing the Trump administration to step in.
Over 20 attorneys general have urged Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to review mifepristone’s safety and reinstate safeguards. Both have committed to a new review, though no timeline is set.
The political stakes are high for pro-life supporters who see Trump as a champion after Roe’s fall. If abortions keep climbing due to this policy, frustration could brew among his base over inaction.
States with larger populations are receiving the most mailed pills, and providers are leveraging global networks to circumvent local bans. It’s a sly end-run around the will of the people in conservative states.
The ROAF report is a call to action for Trump, Kennedy, and Makary to use their authority to reverse this dangerous policy.
With the tools already in hand, the administration must act fast to restore basic medical oversight and protect women from harm.
