Every year, untold numbers of unborn babies are aborted using chemical abortion drugs like mifepristone — now used in over 63% of all abortions in America. Many of these abortions occur at home, where women are told to flush the remains of their unborn children into the toilet. These human remains are entering our wastewater systems — along with the active chemical by-products of the abortion drugs.

This is not only a human tragedy — it’s a public health emergency.

Emerging evidence shows that metabolites of other drugs survive wastewater treatment and there is reason to believe mifepristone's active metabolites also survive treatment and enter into rivers, lakes, and possibly even drinking water. Wastewater plants were never designed to filter human fetal remains or pharmaceutical residues of this kind. The FDA approved these drugs without ever conducting a full environmental impact study on these concerns. Congress, the FDA and the EPA must act now.

I am writing today out of deep concern for both the health of our environment and the dignity of human life. As you may know, more than 60% of abortions in America are now chemical abortions, most often conducted at home. In these cases, women are frequently instructed to dispose of the fetal remains by flushing them into the sewage system.

This is appalling in itself, but the consequences reach far beyond the home. When these remains and the abortion pill’s active metabolites enter our wastewater systems, they may not break down. Instead, there is a chance that they can pass through treatment plants into rivers, lakes, and possibly our drinking water. The FDA’s original environmental analysis in 1996 did not account for this scale of use, nor the unique risks of human remains and long-lasting chemical by-products entering our water supply.

We are calling on Congress to immediately hold public hearings to investigate the environmental risks posed by chemical abortion drugs. Additionally, we urge the EPA and other departments to launch a thorough, independent study into how these active drug metabolites and fetal remains are impacting water quality across the country and regulate this monitoring and processes.

No American should have to wonder whether their tap water contains pharmaceutical residues from abortion drugs or the biological remains of a human child. This is not a partisan issue — it’s a public health issue, an environmental issue, a human rights issue, and a moral issue. Please act now to defend clean water, human dignity, and scientific integrity.