MONTGOMERY, AL — Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall has joined a 14-state coalition requesting that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) add the abortion drug mifepristone and its generic equivalents to the agency’s Contaminant Candidate List for monitoring and potential regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act.
According to a statement released by Marshall’s office, the coalition argues that increased use of chemical abortion medications, combined with changes to federal regulations governing their distribution, may result in pharmaceutical waste entering public waterways.
“There is a booming black-market for drug-inducing abortions operating completely outside of lawful medical oversight, and it has created a serious public health crisis,” Marshall said in the release. “Our coalition is demanding the EPA add mifepristone and its generic equivalents to their official watch list for immediate monitoring of local waterways.”
The request was made through a letter led by the Missouri Attorney General’s Office. The letter contends that changes made by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the past decade reduced safeguards previously associated with mifepristone distribution, including certain in-person requirements.
The coalition argues that an increase in at-home chemical abortions could contribute to pharmaceutical waste entering wastewater systems and waterways. State attorneys general involved in the effort are asking the EPA to study the issue and consider whether additional regulation is warranted.
Mifepristone is one of two drugs commonly used in medication abortions and is approved by the FDA for use during early pregnancy. According to data cited in the coalition’s letter, medication abortions accounted for 63 percent of all U.S. abortions performed within the formal health care system in 2023, compared to 31 percent in 2014 and 14 percent in 2005.
The letter also references research that coalition members say raises concerns about potential reproductive health effects associated with exposure to mifepristone. The attorneys general argue that further monitoring is necessary to determine whether the drug is present in public water supplies and, if so, at what levels.
The EPA has not announced whether it will add mifepristone to the Contaminant Candidate List. Inclusion on the list does not automatically result in regulation but may lead to additional research and evaluation by the agency.
