Abortion V. Environment

Mifepristone induced abortions are happening at unprecedented rates. An estimated 63% of all abortions in 2023 were chemical abortions.(1) This endocrine disruptor, its active metabolites, and more than 30 tons of chemically tainted human tissue, placentas, and fetal blood are estimated to enter our wastewater systems EVERY YEAR ... and those numbers are increasing.(2)  

Environmental Catastrophe: Liberty Counsel Action’s report details how long-lasting metabolites and aborted human fetal remains are impacting wastewater treatment plants — facilities never designed to handle such potent biological and chemical hazards, especially at the levels they are facing now.(3) 

Public Health at Risk: Given that research on mifepristone metabolites in our environment is lacking, their possible adverse effects on our ecosystem and on the humans who may be drinking them are unknown. What we do know, however, is cause for concern: Mifepristone acts as an endocrine disruptor by blocking progesterone, a vital fertility hormone.(4) Women excrete it into our wastewater systems. Conventional waste and drinking water treatments do not fully remove all pharmaceutical contaminants. Relatedly, infertility rates are on the rise and now affect 1 in 6 individuals.(5)  

While there is a clear correlation between the increase in chemical abortions and an increased rate of infertility, further study is sorely needed to establish whether there is causation. For expectant mothers, we need to ask the question whether long-term exposure to even trace amounts of mifepristone's active metabolites could be preventing pregnancy or contributing to miscarriages. Is water, once safe for drinking, silently decreasing fertility rates? 

These questions are not theoretical — these drugs are entering our water ... and the impact is not even being measured or analyzed. This is a humanitarian disaster and a public health emergency. And it is not happening on a small scale.