Voters side with women’s safety in the prescription of chemical abortion drugs
In a recent national poll of likely 2026 voters, an overwhelming majority (71%) supported requiring a doctor’s visit before the prescription of a chemical abortion bill to terminate a pregnancy. Respondents to the survey also supported requiring doctors to screen for coercion or abuse before prescribing an abortion drug (70%) and requiring accurate FDA labels for the drugs, indicating the real-world impact on women who take it (90%).
The survey drilled down on what voters objected to in the Biden, COVID-era FDA policy that removed the requirement for a doctor’s visit to receive a chemical abortion drug prescription. Over 7 out of 10 voters (72%) agreed that manufacturers have pressured the FDA to lower safety standards, and pharmaceutical companies’ bottom line should not take precedence over women’s safety.
Confidence in the safety of abortion drugs is split, with 41% saying it is somewhat or very safe, and almost 60% saying it is unsafe or they don’t know if it’s safe. The survey’s results underscore a growing body of evidence of the abortion pills’ dangers, the significant demand for advanced provision abortion drugs (abortion drugs received “ahead of time” in anticipation of the need for them), and the growing use of mail-order abortions.
Earlier this month, in response to the FDA’s approval of a generic version of the abortion drug, mifepristone, Heather Weininger, Executive Director of Wisconsin Right to Life urged the FDA to, “Reinstate the reasonable safety restrictions that existed during President Trump’s first term for mifepristone and its generic counterpart. Whether brand-name or generic, these abortion drugs — without proper medical oversight — will harm women. Women deserve real healthcare, real compassion, and real support — not a pill that ends one life and endangers another.”
The majority of respondents to the McLaughlin & Associates survey (57%) identified as pro-choice, with 36% identifying as strongly pro-choice. Women were slightly overrepresented in the survey of 1,600 voters nationwide: 52% to 48% male. About 3 out of 5 voters (59%) had a favorable view of Planned Parenthood.