As Makary Exits, Pro-Lifers Await Movement On Abortion Drugs

U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary resigned on Tuesday after months of pressure from pro-life groups to not only review approval of the popular abortion drug linked to an 11 percent maternal injury rate, but also reinstate safeguards that were present during the first Trump administration.

The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and CNN reported on Friday that President Donald Trump planned to “fire” Makary, rumors that the commander-in-chief claimed he had read but knew “nothing about.” By Tuesday, news broke that Makary stepped down.

The reason for Makary’s departure was not immediately clear, but the pro-life movement quickly hailed his exit as a win and an opportunity to replace him with a motivated ally.

“We look forward to a new FDA Commissioner who will put an end to the mail-order abortion drug regime,” SBA Pro-Life President Marjorie Dannenfelser wrote on X. “We must return immediately to the 1st Trump Administration standard of in-person dispensing to protect women from coercion and abuse and allow the enforcement of pro-life state laws.”

Sen. Josh Hawley, who repeatedly criticized Makary’s handling of mifepristone, hailed the FDA head’s resignation as “welcome news.”

“Dr. Makary was uniquely destructive to the prolife movement. He attempted to place pro-abortion lawyers in key positions. He slow walked a vitally necessary review of the abortion drug mifepristone. He used his discretion to approve a new abortion drug when the data shows it sends 1 in 10 women to the emergency room. He froze out prolife leaders and repeatedly stonewalled Congress. His resignation is an opportunity for the FDA to reset,” the senator asserted.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is leading the congressional investigation into mifepristone manufacturers’ potential failure to comply with safety regulations, signaled Makary “was part of a broader symptom of an administration that has not paid attention to pro-life issues.”

“I care deeply about life, and I anticipate the next FDA nominee shall as well,” Cassidy wrote.

Live Action’s Lila Rose called on the administration to “Appoint a pro-life commissioner” and “ban the abortion pill now!”

As of Tuesday night, none of the pro-life groups that demanded Makary’s ousting for months had publicly suggested a successor.

Currently, the FDA’s top food regulator Kyle Diamantas will act as the agency’s lead until Trump appoints a new commissioner. Records show that Diamantas represented Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando in a 2017 legal dispute with a Florida medical complex over the abortion facility’s ability to end pregnancies on property. White House spokesman Kush Desai told the Wall Street Journal that Diamantas was a “junior legal associate who was assigned to that case by his superiors” but “based on his personal convictions, ultimately removed himself from the case.”

Mifepristone Under Makary

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Makary pledged throughout 2025 to review new data showing one in 10 women who take mifepristone suffer a life-threatening complication such as hemorrhage or infection, a risk rate that is 22 times higher than the drug’s label states. Kennedy even acknowledged under oath that the Biden administration “twisted the data to bury one of the safety signals” associated with abortion pills.

The Federalist asked the FDA whether Diamantas will continue the mifepristone review that was allegedly initiated “under [Makary’s] auspices,” but did not receive an immediate response.

For months leading up to his resignation, pro-life activists and GOP politicians pressed the FDA to at least restore the mifepristone safeguards, such as an in-person doctor visit, that were present during the first Trump administration.

They emphasized that no review is required for the regulatory agency to roll back Biden-era expansions that make it easier for people to obtain and take mifepristone without medical oversight and cited the climbing number of U.S. abortions as evidence that the scheme to continue puts women, babies, and states’ sovereignty at risk. They also amplified stories and lawsuits demonstrating how the prevalence of mail-order mifepristone paved the way for abuse and harm to women who wanted to keep their pregnancies.

Even in the face of polling showing a majority of likely voters want the FDA to protect women from the dangers of abortion pills, the FDA declined to act or offer a measurable update on its abortion drug evaluation.

Frustration further mounted when the FDA approved a generic version of the abortion pill for sale in October 2025. Despite the fact that the off-brand abortion drug sat unapproved for 1,207 days under the Biden administration and another 253 days under Trump, HHS claimed to The Federalist that it was required “by law” to approve the application for distribution.

By then, groups such as SBA List Pro-Life America and Live Action’s Lila Rose were fed up. Relying on anonymously-sourced claims that Makary was slow-walking the mifepristone review he previously confirmed was underway, pro-lifers began calling for the FDA chief’s firing in December 2025.

Those calls only intensified after the FDA noted in its January 2026 response to a landmark abortion pill challenge out of Louisiana that would not do anything about mifepristone until the conclusion of its official abortion drug evaluation.

Makary’s exit might not be solely due to his mishandling of the mifepristone issue. Trump was reportedly frustrated with the FDA head’s resistance to approving flavored vapes and pharmaceutical companies disliked Makary’s regulatory style. But his departure will prove to be a pivotal point for pro-lifers who want to see the administration take action on abortion pills.

“Here’s the truth: Doesn’t matter who the FDA Commissioner is if the Oval Office doesn’t support him or her taking quick action to protect mothers & babies from deadly Chemical Abortion Pills. The buck stops with President Trump.” Students for Life of America (SFLA) President Kristan Hawkins warned.

Hawkins’ further explained that she did not push for Makary to resign “because I know the FDA is filled with pro-abortion Leftists.”

Jordan Boyd is an award-winning staff writer at The Federalist and producer of “The Federalist Radio Hour.” Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire, Fox News, and RealClearPolitics. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on X @jordanboydtx.