WASHINGTON — The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) praised the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, for his planned review of the abortion pill mifepristone.

National Right to Life today released a letter the organization sent to FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary on May 29, 2025, asking for a review of the abortion drug in light of new studies showing its frequent association with serious, often life-threatening adverse events.

“The FDA owes it to the American people—especially to women—to reconsider the standards under which this drug was approved and is currently being distributed,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “Women deserve the truth about the risks associated with abortion pills.” 

Tobias continued, “At the very least, the agency should reinstate pre-2016 safety protocols, including in-person physician oversight, an earlier gestational cutoff, and full adverse event reporting.” 

NRLC’s letter calls for a full review of the FDA’s approval and deregulation of mifepristone and an immediate halt to online and pharmacy distribution of the drug, pending a complete reevaluation of its safety profile. This followed a new study by the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) revealing serious safety concerns at nearly 22 times the rate reported by the abortion industry’s sponsored studies.

“This is a matter of public health and ethical responsibility,” said Tobias.

In the letter, National Right to Life highlighted the EPPC study’s findings, which analyzed medical records from more than 865,000 abortion pill users and revealed alarming rates of complications—far higher than those reflected in earlier studies used to justify FDA approval and deregulation of the drug.

National Right to Life also pointed to similar findings from large-scale studies in Finland and Canada, which reported significantly higher adverse event rates than those cited by the FDA or in studies sponsored by the abortion industry.

The letter details critical safety issues that have arisen in recent use of mifepristone, including:

• Use of the drug beyond the FDA’s approved gestational age, as advertised by prominent providers;
• High rates of emergency room visits by women experiencing significant pain, uncontrolled bleeding, or other serious complications;
• Improper prescription of the drug to women with undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies, which can lead to life-threatening outcomes;
• Concerns over the safety and quality of abortion pills shipped by mail without inspection or temperature control;
• The way abortion pill advocates have minimized the seriousness of complications such as failed abortions, hemorrhages, and even uterine perforations as “minor” to claim high safety rates.

“The EPPC study paints a stark contrast to the small, idealized clinical trials put forward by the abortion industry,” added Dr. Randall K. O’Bannon, NRLC Director of Education and Research. “This research of EPPC and these other large, neutral foreign studies reflect real-world conditions and demonstrate that many women suffer serious medical complications as mifepristone is currently prescribed and used.” 

Read the full letter here.

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

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life applauds U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) for introducing a resolution designating June as “Life Month” in honor of the landmark Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

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

We are deeply grateful to Senator Cruz and Congressman Smith for their unwavering commitment to defending the sanctity of human life. The Life Month resolution serves not only as a celebration of a historic legal victory, but also as a reminder that our work to build a culture that values life at every stage is far from over. 

The right to life is the most fundamental of all human rights and a foundational principle of our nation’s ideals. The Life Month resolution recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of every human life and calls attention to the need to protect the most vulnerable among us. It also serves as a moment to reflect on the historic ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2022, which restored the right of the American people and their elected representatives to protect preborn children through the democratic process.

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

Decision Curbs Biden Administration’s Overreach

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life applauds last night’s decision by U.S. District Judge David Joseph striking down a regulation from the Biden administration’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that sought to force employers to accommodate elective abortions under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA).

Judge Joseph found that the EEOC had “exceeded its statutory authority.” Under the Biden administration, the EEOC classified abortion as a “related medical condition” under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act.

Judge Joseph wrote, “[A]ny analysis of the Final Rule must begin with the presumption that Congress’s decision not to include any reference to abortion in the PWFA was intentional.”

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

This court decision is a victory not only for women and their preborn children but also for the rule of law. 

The Biden administration overstepped and, in an act of aggressive overreach, used a law aimed at protecting women in order to push a pro-abortion agenda that permeated all levels of the Biden administration. 

The Biden administration crossed the bright line that divides the branches of government and deliberately subverted Congress’s intent when it passed the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act. The court’s ruling restores the original aim of the law and is a slap on the wrist for an administration that placed partisanship over people and an extreme abortion agenda over the law.

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

WASHINGTON — Delaware Governor Matt Meyer tragically signed the state’s assisted suicide bill into law. Delaware’s law passed in the legislature by one vote after ten years of public opposition.

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

Delaware’s new law puts lives at risk. Assisted suicide laws offer no compassion, no hope, and no help for vulnerable members of our society. 

End-of-life discussions should focus on palliative care, hospice, and support options. Assisted suicide shifts the focus from life-affirming care to premature death and erodes the public trust in healthcare and medical doctors. 

So-called safeguards do not work. No safeguard can fully prevent subtle pressures, as evidenced by Dutch Alzheimer’s cases where patients were euthanized despite earlier expressions of doubt or resistance, including a widely reported case in which a woman was euthanized against her will while being physically restrained by her family and doctor. 

The horror of assisted suicide is that many of the most vulnerable in our society are pressured to “choose” assisted suicide which normalizes a culture of death—devaluing the lives of the disabled, elderly, and chronically ill. As society attitudes shift, legalization creates a “duty to die” mindset and puts our most vulnerable members of society at risk.

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

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life supports the House reconciliation bill –also named the “One, Big Beautiful Bill” – which would eliminate federal funds being used to prop up the multibillion-dollar abortion industry.

“Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider, rakes in over $2 billion in revenue every year,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “As the nation’s single largest abortion provider, Planned Parenthood took the lives of over 400,000 unborn babies last year.” 

In its latest annual report, Planned Parenthood performed 402,230 abortions, or about 4 out of every 10 abortions nationwide, and abortions outnumbered prenatal care 57 to 1. 

In a recent New York Times exposé on the abortion giant, it was reported that,

Over the last five years, the national office has distributed more than $899 million to affiliates…but none of it went directly to medical services.… Much of the national funding to affiliates went to legal support, public campaigns to expand abortion access and subsidies for patient navigators…

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, Planned Parenthood took in $2.026 billion in revenue making the abortion giant one of the nation’s most profitable “non-profits.” Of the over $2 billion, $792.2 million (39%) of Planned Parenthood’s revenue came from taxpayers in the form of “Government Health Services Reimbursements & Grants.”

“Planned Parenthood has built a billion-dollar industry off of women and the killing of unborn babies using taxpayer dollars,” said Tobias. “It’s time to turn the pig away from the feeding trough.”

Taxpayers have consistently opposed taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions. In a January 2025 Marist Poll, 57% of those polled opposed taxpayer funding of abortion.

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

WASHINGTON — Planned Parenthood released its 2023-2024 annual report on Monday, and it shows that Planned Parenthood continues to perform a record number of abortions.

The service figures in this latest annual report cover October 1, 2022, to September 30, 2023. This report is the first full account following the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Women’s Health Services that overturned Roe v. Wade. 

The report shows that Planned Parenthood performed 402,230 abortions, or about 4 of every 10 abortions nationwide, and that abortions outnumbered prenatal care 57 to 1.

“Planned Parenthood performed a record number of abortions and continues to promote abortion for any reason and at any time,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “The abortion giant’s primary mission to destroy preborn children cannot be more clear.” 

Tobias continued, “Rather than being ‘A Force for Hope,’ the nation’s largest abortion provider continues to perform abortions at an unprecedented rate, offering only a dead baby for a woman seeking help and hope.”

For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, Planned Parenthood took in $2.026 billion in revenue making the abortion giant one of the nation’s most profitable “non-profits.”

Planned Parenthood stopped offering abortion in some states but obviously more than made up for it by facilitating support for women who traveled to abortion-friendly states.

Of the over $2 billion in revenue, $792.2 million (39%) of Planned Parenthood’s revenue came from taxpayers in the form of “Government Health Services Reimbursements & Grants.”

“Planned Parenthood’s latest annual report shows that the abortion industry giant continues to put abortion above genuine pregnancy-related services,” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of Education and Research for National Right to Life, one of the right-to-life movement’s most authoritative experts on the Planned Parenthood.

Most of Planned Parenthood’s expenses went toward “medical services,” which came in at $1.286 billion. It is impossible to estimate how much of these expenses were for performing abortions, because Planned Parenthood does not make these numbers public and the prices for abortions vary regionally at Planned Parenthood affiliates. In addition, the cost of different abortion procedures varies based on how old the unborn baby is at the time of the abortion, making even general calculations impossible.

Planned Parenthood’s annual report also shows that prenatal services and adoption referrals are still rare at Planned Parenthood:

• Just 7,008 women received prenatal care at Planned Parenthood clinics.
• Just 2,148 women were referred for adoptions.

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

WASHINGTON – The de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame awarded National Right to Life Vice President Tony Lauinger and his wife, Phyllis Lauinger, M.D., its Evangelium Vitae Medal.

Tony Lauinger is State Chairman of Oklahomans For Life and Vice President of National Right to Life. Phyllis Lauinger, M.D., provides free health care to Tulsa’s uninsured through Xavier Medical Clinic and has delivered pro-life lectures to various audiences over the years.

“We are extremely grateful for Tony and Phyllis Lauinger and their lifelong work dedicated to protecting the most vulnerable among us,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “And we thank the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture for recognizing the Lauingers’ commitment to the right to life.”

According to the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, the Evangelium Vitae Medal is “the nation’s most important lifetime achievement award for heroes in the pro-life movement, honoring individuals whose outstanding efforts have served to proclaim the Gospel of Life by steadfastly affirming and defending the sanctity of human life from its earliest stages.” The Evangelium Vitae Medal is named after Pope John Paul II’s 1995 encyclical.

After he and his wife received the award, Mr. Lauinger delivered remarks that included the following:

Phyllis and I would like to dedicate these cherished medals to all the unsung, unheralded heroes of the pro-life movement who have never been recognized, honored, or thanked…  Those who have labored in the vineyard this past half century without any acclaim, following their consciences and the call that the Good Lord put on their hearts to do as the Book of Proverbs counsels, and rescue those being led to slaughter….

The Supreme Court in 1973 condemned to death the unborn children of America, but what they could not do was extinguish the determination of pro-life citizens to defend those children….

Pro-life Americans flatly refused to leave the voiceless unborn child without a voice, refused to let the issue die, refused to let Roe v. Wade be the last word.

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 – As President Donald Trump marks his first 100 days in office, National Right to Life praises the work the president has done on behalf of the right to life.

“We thank President Trump for his steadfast commitment to the right to life,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance have been vital allies of the pro-life movement and the work the movement is doing to protect innocent preborn lives.”

Continued Tobias, “President Trump’s first actions in office include the critical undertaking of reversing the extreme pro-abortion policies of the Biden-Harris administration.”

Pro-life accomplishments of the Trump administration include:

• Enforcing the Hyde Amendment – Over the course of nearly five decades, the Hyde Amendment has saved an estimated 2.5 million lives. An Executive Order signed by President Trump reversed Biden-era Executive Orders that blatantly violated the Hyde Amendment as well as other similar riders and amendments. The Biden-era Orders reversed were: Executive Order 14076 which mandated a whole-of-government approach of protecting unlimited abortions and imposing draconian measures on violations and Executive Order 14079 which recategorized abortion as “health care.”
• Ended the Federal Funding of Abortion Overseas – President Trump reinstated Mexico City Policy and the United States also reentered the Geneva Consensus Declaration. Co-founded by the United States in 2020 under President Trump, the Declaration is a coalition of more than 30 countries united in affirming the inherent dignity of every human being, the importance of women’s health without endorsing abortion, and the sovereignty of nations to protect life through their own laws.
• Working to Stop the Federal Funding of Abortion – President Trump stopped federal funds from being used to reimburse travel expenses for abortions by the Department of Defense, stopped the Department of Veterans Affairs from allowing VA hospitals to perform abortions and stopped the Department of Health and Human Services from paying for abortions for those who entered the country illegally.
• Strongly Supports H.R. 21, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act – the White House applauded the House of Representatives for its efforts to protect the most vulnerable and prevent infanticide.
• Restored Millions in Title X Funding to Oklahoma and Tennessee – the two states were previously cut off under the Biden administration for refusing to provide abortion referrals.
• Title X Funding on Hold to Planned Parenthood Affiliates – According to an HHS spokesperson, this is “to ensure these entities are in full compliance with Federal law and applicable grant terms, and to ensure responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.”
• President Trump was the first president to attend the March for Life in person during his first administration. Though unable to attend in person in 2025, the president addressed the March via video and Vice President Vance addressed the March in person.

“The Trump administration continues to protect and defend innocent human life,” said Tobias. “We look forward to seeing more great things from President Trump and Vice President Vance.”

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 — Research released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center shows that mifepristone abortions have a complication rate far higher than the abortion industry admits.

“Every time pro-lifers want to challenge safety claims made about the abortion pill mifepristone, abortion advocates and their loyal media allies like to quote the claim of the drug’s official label from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that clinical studies showed ‘Serious adverse reactions were reported in <0.5% of women,’” said Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of Education and Research at National Right to Life. “New data taken from the field show figures are twenty-two times that.” 

Jamie Bryan Hall and Ryan T. Anderson, two researchers from the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) looked at data from 865,727 insurance claims involving mifepristone abortions between 2017 and 2023.

The results were staggering. Counting only those with a report of significant or severe complications, EPPC researchers found 10.93% reporting sepsis, infection, hemorrhage, hospitalization, or some other issue that officially qualified as a “serious adverse event.” 

Since the data set used for the report involved the broad spectrum of women in the U.S. who obtained mifepristone abortions in 2017-2023, the real-world results probably more accurately reflect current usage and complications. 

“Women are told that the complication rate for chemical abortions is minimal but hemorrhage, infection, and failure to identify rupturing ectopic pregnancies are the realities,” said Dr. O’Bannon. “Tracking these complications became more difficult in 2016 when the FDA decided that medical personnel and facilities only need to report deaths—not the complications arising from the use of the abortion pill mifepristone.” 

The report issued by the Ethics and Public Policy Center can be found 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 deeply mourns the passing of David N. O’Steen, Ph. D., who led the organization from 1984 to 2022.

“There are likely millions alive today because of Dr. David O’Steen’s influence and guidance,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “He was a humble man known for his quiet and devoted leadership, but he is a giant among those who have dedicated their lives to protecting the right to life. He will be grievously missed.”

Under Dr. O’Steen’s leadership, National Right to Life developed model legislation and spearheaded the passage of protective legislative measures such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, and the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act. 

“Dr. O’Steen dedicated his life to protecting the unborn, the medically vulnerable, and the elderly,” said Tobias. “He will be remembered for his unwavering commitment.” 

Dr. David N. O’Steen was born in Greensboro, North Carolina and received his bachelor’s degree from Guilford College. He earned a master’s degree from the University of Georgia and received his doctorate in mathematics from the University of Houston.

Dr. O’Steen was a professor of mathematics and later became department chairman at the College of St. Scholastica in Duluth, Minnesota. While in Duluth, he led the Duluth chapter of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life (MCCL). A brilliant mathematician, in 1975, David made the personal sacrifice of leaving academics to become the executive director of Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

In 1984, Dr. O’Steen became executive director of National Right to Life, a position he held until December 2022. Dr. O’Steen retired from his role as National Right to Life’s Senior Advisor in January 2024.

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 joins with millions of faithful worldwide in mourning the death of Pope Francis who was a staunch defender of life.

“Pope Francis, like his predecessors, was a strong advocate for the value and dignity of every human life, from conception to natural death,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “His stalwart support of the right to life was grounded in compassion and love.” 

In his New Year’s Day message, Pope Francis called upon the Church faithful to care for “every child born of a woman” including protecting “the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.” Pope Francis asked “[F]or a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future.”

In a message to the Italian Movement for Life, Pope Francis wrote, “The unborn child represents, in the fullest sense, every man and woman who does not count, who has no voice.”

“Pope Francis will be remembered for his dedication to the most vulnerable among us and for championing the right to life,” said Tobias.

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.