WASHINGTON — National Right to Life (NRLC) applauds Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Marty Makary, Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, for an upcoming safety review of mifepristone, a drug that has caused serious complications and posed risks to women for too long.

In a letter sent earlier this year, NRLC urged FDA Commissioner Makary to take decisive action to protect women and unborn children from dangerous chemical abortions. This letter emphasized that the FDA’s loosened rules have caused critical safety issues.

“For years, the abortion industry has downplayed the dangers of mifepristone, ignoring the thousands of women who have suffered serious complications and the children whose lives are ended by this drug,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Women are being told these pills are as safe as Tylenol—nothing could be further from the truth. This is a reckless experiment on women’s bodies and their unborn children.” 

Tobias continued, “Each abortion takes the life of a preborn child and places her mother at risk. Women aborting at home are also more likely to be traumatized when they realize that they aborted a living child and not just ‘tissue’ or ‘products of conception’ as the abortion industry claims.”

According to recent data, over a period of more than a decade, the FDA received thousands of reports of serious side effects, including severe blood loss requiring emergency transfusions. A review launched by the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Commissioner Makary is now underway to determine whether the existing regulatory framework for mifepristone is adequate.

“Tragically, we know of at least 36 women who have died after taking abortion pills,” said Tobias. “How many more have been irreparably harmed or traumatized by an abortion?”

MISSED, MISCLASSIFIED, AND MINIMIZED: Why Abortion Pill Complications Are Underreported is National Right to Life’s most recent report. It covers why stories of women suffering from serious complications following the use of abortion pills aren’t known and haven’t been more widely publicized.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasi

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life has released a new report, Missed, Misclassified, and Minimized: Why Abortion Pill Complications Are Underreported, by Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., National Right to Life Director of Education and Research. The findings highlight the reasons why serious complications from chemical abortions are often underreported or misreported.

“The abortion pill is being sold as safe, but independent data tell another story,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Women are being harmed, and the dangers are being ignored or hidden.” 

The report highlights three major reasons for underreporting:

• Women are told to conceal complications. Abortion pill providers encourage women to present their symptoms as miscarriages, leaving doctors without critical information and skewing medical records.
• A lack of curiosity in the media. Reporters frequently repeat abortion industry talking points while ignoring data and women’s very real stories.
• Abortion industry spin. Complications such as hemorrhage, failed abortions, and infections are often recategorized as “minor,” masking the true risks.

“Abortion industry spin makes mifepristone abortions sound easy, but the truth is each abortion takes the life of a living preborn child and places the woman in danger,” said Tobias.

Since its approval, the FDA has documented at least 36 deaths and thousands of complications linked to the abortion pill. With weaker federal reporting requirements in place since 2016, National Right to Life warns that the real toll is likely far higher.

“Assertions of safety based on flawed or slanted industry studies are not good enough,” stated report author, Dr. O’Bannon. “The public—and policymakers—deserve accurate, transparent reporting on the dangers of chemical abortion.”

The full report is available here.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life commends Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for taking the extraordinary step of decertifying a troubled organ procurement organization in South Florida after years of alleged serious deficiencies.

“Every human life has dignity, and no institution entrusted with human lives should ever put that trust at risk,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Protecting life extends to every stage of life and especially to our most vulnerable. We are grateful to Secretary Kennedy for demonstrating leadership and integrity on an issue of such moral importance.” 

Secretary Kennedy’s actions follow a report by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) that HHS released in July. HRSA reviewed 351 cases where the organ donation was “authorized, but ultimately not completed,” and found 73 patients exhibited neurological activity and at least 28 cases where organ retrieval began before legal death was established.

A July 20 New York Times report highlighted cases under donation‑after‑circulatory‑death (DCD), in which patients appeared to have regained consciousness while being prepared for organ harvest—even undergoing incision—before procedures were halted.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life today approved of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) move to defund research projects using fetal tissue.

“This is a long‐overdue step in the right direction,” said Carol Tobias, President of National Right to Life. “Every human being, born or unborn, has inherent dignity, and the use of aborted fetal tissue in research raises profound ethical issues. We applaud NIH for choosing not to renew these grants and for making a public affirmation that federal funding should reflect respect for human life.” 

During President Trump’s first term, he banned new funding for research involving fetal tissue. This policy was reversed under the Biden administration.

NIH said it will not renew the 17 grants that were initiated under the Biden administration. The grants were funding research using human fetal tissue obtained from abortions and, collectively, the grants were worth nearly $22 million in FY 2024.

NIH said that its policy going forward will align with what the NIH describes as a commitment to valuing human life and ensuring that taxpayer‐funded research is conducted “responsibly and transparently.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life welcomes today’s ruling by a federal appellate court that lifts the injunction blocking the provision of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” which defunds major abortion providers. The provision prevents abortion providers—most notably Planned Parenthood—from receiving Medicaid funds if they exceed certain thresholds.

Today’s decision restores Congress’s ability to ensure taxpayer dollars are not used to subsidize the abortion industry.

“This ruling is a victory for unborn children and for taxpayers,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “No organization has a constitutional right to federal funds—especially when those funds enable the taking of innocent human life. With this decision, the courts respect the will of the people, through their elected representatives, that taxpayer dollars should not support an industry built on taking the lives of unborn babies.”

The One Big Beautiful Bill, signed into law on July 4th by President Donald J. Trump, includes critical provisions that halt the use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize the abortion industry. It passed narrowly in Congress after a strong show of resolve from pro-life lawmakers.

Following passage, a U.S. District Judge had issued a preliminary injunction, blocking the law from going into effect, arguing constitutional concerns. The appellate court’s decision to unblock the defunding provision affirms that legislative decisions—including those pertaining to the use of public funds—must be respected.

“Today’s First Circuit ruling reinforces a basic moral boundary: taxpayer dollars should not bankroll abortion,” said Tobias. “We are encouraged that the rule of law has held firm in this matter.”

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON – National Right to Life mourns the loss of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk who was killed while speaking on a college campus.

The following is a statement from Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life:

We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Charlie Kirk. Charlie was a bold and passionate voice for the unborn, unafraid to speak truth in defense of the most vulnerable members of our human family. His commitment to the cause of life inspired countless Americans, particularly young people, to stand up and be advocates for those who cannot speak for themselves. His absence will be profoundly felt, but his legacy of courage and conviction will continue to strengthen and encourage the pro-life movement for years to come.

National Right to Life extends its deepest sympathies to Charlie Kirk’s family, friends, and the countless lives he touched.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide and euthanasia.