Chairman Cassidy, Smith Lead Amicus Brief to Protect Women & Babies From Dangerous Abortion Drugs, Restore Safeguards

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, and U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), led 58 Republican lawmakers in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. Western District of Louisiana supporting Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill's lawsuit to protect women and their unborn children from dangerous chemical abortion drugs. The brief argues mifepristone's in-person dispensing requirement must be reinstated.

"I thank Attorney General Murrill for defending women and babies in Louisiana and across the country. Chemical abortion drugs kill innocent children and put mothers' lives at risk," said Dr. Cassidy. "Safeguards protecting against coercion, such as the in-person dispensing requirement, must be reinstated immediately."

"A historic report released by the Ethics and Public Policy Center found that more than one out of ten (10.93%) women who take the chemical abortion drug mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious adverse event within 45 days. Yet, under 'Abortion President' Joe Biden, mifepristone-the baby poison pill-was recklessly promoted as a mail-order drug, aiming to kill unborn children and putting women at grave risk," said Representative Smith, Co-Chair of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. "It is well past time that we stand up to protect women and children from the dangers of mifepristone and put this highly dangerous chemical drug out of reach, once and for all."

In October 2025, Attorney General Murrill filed a lawsuit on behalf of the State of Louisiana and Rosalie Markezich, a victim of Democrats' harmful decision to remove the in-person dispensing requirement for dangerous chemical abortion drugs. Because of Biden's policy, Rosalie's boyfriend was able to order chemical abortion pills online from an abortionist in California and coerced her to take the drug to kill her unborn child.

The Republican lawmakers argue that Biden violated federal law by removing the in-person dispensing requirement, and that these protections should be reinstated. Additionally, the amicus brief supports Attorney General Murrill's motion for preliminary relief, asking for a preliminary injunction ordering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to suspend or withdraw the 2023 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) while the case proceeds.

As Chairman of the HELP Committee, Cassidy led a hearing in January with Attorney General Murrill on the dangers of chemical abortion drugs. He is also leading conservative Republicans calling on Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to fulfill their promise to complete a safety review of abortion drugs.

The brief is also supported by U.S. Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Steve Daines (R-MT), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), John Hoeven (R-ND), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), John Kennedy (R-LA), James Lankford (R-OK), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Roger Wicker (R-MS).

Read the full amicus brief here.

For all news and updates from HELP Republicans, visit ourwebsite or Twitterat @GOPHELP.