“Because of the failures of the Trump Administration to enforce the Comstock Act or to thoroughly review the so-called science that supports Chemical Abortion Pill policy, dangerous pathological medical waste goes into our waterways by the tons every year,” said Students for Life’s Kristan Hawkins. “In our amicus brief, we argue that the failure to protect endangered species from abortion water pollution is one more reason to pull the plug on the pills and start again.” 

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WASHINGTON D.C. (06-26-2026) – Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins announced that once again the pro-life organization would ask the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to consider that not only are Chemical Abortion Pills deadly for preborn babies and dangerous for their mothers, endangered species also are at risk. As a result of the negligent oversight of Chemical Abortion Pills, more than 50 tons of chemically tainted blood and placenta tissue, along with human remains, go into America’s waterways — flushed away because the Trump Administration has so far ignored the reckless distribution of Chemical Abortion Pills. SFLA has filed an amicus brief in Louisiana v. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as LA’s Attorney General Liz Murrill continues to press the case that federal policy is wreaking havoc on states. 

CLICK HERE TO READ THE 53-PAGE AMICUS BRIEF.

“That we are back in court in this case is painfully ironic. When the case was last in court, a judge said that the case was likely a winner for Louisiana but still allowed Chemical Abortion Pill distribution to continue while we wait for the FDA to finish a review of the deadly drugs.  Mothers in the hands of abusers and babies don’t have that kind of time,” said Hawkins. “A federal court has already said that Louisiana will likely win a case, but we need to wait for an FDA review of the dangers of the pill. Such a review will need to include possible environmental harms to endangered species, but why wait? Since when can a profitable, predatory business dump human remains while we wait for tests?”

Our brief notes that there are nearly 1,500 endangered species in the U.S. that “depend on ecosystems within the United States that are impacted by human activity. Amicus SFLA and its members are concerned that the failure of the FDA to conduct consultation with the Services has led to irreparable harm to listed species and habitats and may lead to the destruction of some of these species.”

The legal analysis notes: “The FDA has a legal obligation to comply with the ESA. The consultation requirement reflects ‘a conscious decision by Congress to give endangered species priority over the ‘primary missions’ of federal agencies. The FDA’s actions on Mifepristone have failed to meet the requirements of the ESA and, therefore, must be revoked until the agency can implement measures to ensure that its actions do not adversely affect listed endangered or threatened species or designated critical habitats. Failure to do so could lead to the extinction of these species. This Court has the authority to order a federal agency to comply with the ESA.”

It continues: “In a document entitled, ‘ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND FINDING OF NOT SIGNIFICANT IMPACT FOR NDA 20-687 MIFEPRISTONE TABLETS,’ the FDA stated without support that ‘[a]dverse effects are not anticipated upon endangered or threatened species.’ This conclusion runs afoul of the requirements of the ESA, relying upon numerous incorrect assumptions about how Mifepristone could enter the environment. Indeed, the FDA did not conduct an environmental study regarding the potential impact Mifepristone could have on the nation’s wastewater. The FDA reviewed only the impact that packaging, production waste, and pharmaceutical waste would have on the environment, failing to examine the impact the excretion of Mifepristone itself would have on the environment.2 Further, the assessment underestimated the number of chemical abortions due to Mifepristone, which are today the most popular form of abortion.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT HERE: What Do Animal Rights Activists and Pro-Lifers Have in Common? More Than You Might Think

Students for Life’s Demetree Institute for Pro-Life Advancement annually surveys registered Youth Voters. This year’s Survey USA collaboration once again found that by margins of 9 in 10, the Youth Vote supports health and safety standards for Chemical Abortion Pills, now thrown away by agency neglect.

In fact, we found:

• Almost 9 in 10 (89%) support studies on the potential environmental impact of waste and drugs related to abortion, with 30% saying it is “extremely” important. Only 10% don’t want the government to investigate abortion water pollution.
• 94% said a federal review of Chemical Abortion Pill policy was important, with 31% calling it extremely important. Only 6% said it is not at all important.
• 90% said it was important for those who distribute abortion pills to provide medical waste bags to collect the pathological medical waste and return it to the abortion vendor for legal disposal, with 33% saying it was extremely important.
• 92% believe it is “somewhat” to “extremely” important to have ultrasound screening to protect women’s lives when they are exposed to deadly Chemical Abortion Pills.
• 94% support requiring providers to give women Rh blood tests to know about risks to future pregnancies, with 41% calling it “extremely” important.
• Half of registered youth voters (50%) said that they would support in-person dispensing requirements (rather than anonymous, online distribution) to protect women from abusers using the drugs against them without their knowledge or consent. Only 27% opposed in-person dispensing, with 15% strongly opposing.

SFLA has led the way in legislation, in agency work, and in grassroots advocacy, in confronting the number one method of abortion death in America.

For interviews, email [email protected].

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The Pro-Life Generation (PLG) is an umbrella organization encompassing the most cutting-edge engagement opportunities for a Vote Pro-Life First Community. PLG includes Students for Life Action (SFLAction), a 501 (c) (4), along with its 501 (c) (3) sister organization, Students for Life of America (SFLA), that together make up the nation’s largest pro-life youth organization, managing a grassroots political and policy operation engaging Americans of all ages but with a special emphasis on the largest segment of voters — the Youth Vote. Headquartered in Fredericksburg, VA, PLG/SFLA/SFLAction serves more than 1,400 groups on middle, high school, college, medical, and law school campuses in all 50 states. Our team has more conversations with this generation targeted by the abortion lobby than any other pro-life operation in the world, each week reaching more than 4 million across social media platforms and averaging 1.3 million video views. In addition to SFLA/SFLAction, PLG leads multiple initiatives to lead and serve  the future of the pro-life movement, including the Campaign for Abortion Free Cities, StandingWithYou, and the Demetree Institute for Pro-LifeAdvancement .Over more than 17 years, PLG CEO Kristan Hawkins has grown the operation into an early $20M organization, now preparing for an abortion-free America.