Environmental harm of chemical abortions raises concerns  

CNA Staff, Jan 30, 2025 / 15:35 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent abortion- and pro-life-related news:

Environmental harm of chemical abortions raises concerns  

Legislators in several states are introducing bills restricting abortion pills, citing concerns about water contamination. New legislation in Arizona, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia, and Wyoming would require abortion providers to have their patients collect expelled medical waste from at-home abortions. 

Chemical abortions — which make up about 60% of U.S. abortions — are primarily sefl-induced at home, meaning that any waste is flushed down the toilet, including the blood and placental tissue and fetal remains of the unborn child. Students for Life of America, a pro-life organization, announced its support of “wastewater legislation” on Thursday. 

In a press release by SFLA’s Kristi Hamrick, Hamrick said that abortion drugs “contain dangerous endocrine disruptors, which are making their way into America’s waterways through human remains, despite EPA warnings not to flush drugs, chemicals, and even goldfish.” She noted that “hospitals dispose of placentas carefully as medical waste, and brick-and-mortar abortion vendors are supposed to follow state laws with human remains,” but waste from chemical abortions is not regulated. 

Lawmakers last year called for a study into the environmental impact of the abortion pill. 

Congressman reintroduces bill to federally ban chemical abortions 

More than a dozen House Republicans are pushing for a proposal to ban chemical abortion drugs.  Tennessee Congressman Andy Ogles reintroduced the Ending Chemical Abortions Act of 2025 — a bill he previously introduced in September 2023 — which would block the use of chemical abortions in the United States.

In a Jan. 24 statement, Ogles cited safety concerns surrounding chemical abortions for both women and unborn children. Chemical abortions “not only end a human life but pose a serious risk to the lives of the mothers,” Ogles noted, highlighting an increase in chemical abortion-related ER visits following the FDA decision to eliminate the in-person dispensing requirement. 

The proposal indicated that a woman who receives a chemical abortion may not be criminally prosecuted. It also stipulated that it does not apply to contraception, miscarriage treatment, or life-threatening situations.

Leading pro-lifers shared their support of the bill. Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America, noted that “the pills are clearly deadly to the preborn and exceptionally harmful to women” and cited environmental concerns surrounding “chemically tainted placenta tissue, blood, and human remains to be flushed into our waterways.”  

Thousands gather to mourn rising Kansas abortions 

Thousands of Kansan pro-lifers rallied at the Kansas statehouse on Wednesday to support pro-life legislation and values, and to mourn the rising number of abortions in the state. 

Led by Kansans for Life, the event highlighted pro-life legislation as well as the mourning of the nearly 20,000 abortions recorded in Kansas in 2023 — a spike from recent years. Kansas abortions have increased as Kansas has become an “abortion destination” state, as neighboring states have stronger pro-life laws; Kansas records show that the number of nonresident abortions nearly doubled from 2022 to 2023. 

The event was preceded by the Kansas Mass for Life, concelebrated by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas; Bishop Carl Kemme of Wichita; and Bishop Gerald Vincke of Salina. 

Naumann spoke at the event as well as Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, and House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita. Hawkins spoke about recent legislative wins in Kansas such as increased funding for the pregnancy compassion awareness programs and pro-life tax credit policies for families to adopt children or for those who donate to pregnancy resource centers and maternity homes. 

Ohio Senate to introduce abolishment of death penalty 

Senators in Ohio announced Tuesday they will reintroduce bipartisan legislation to abolish the death penalty in Ohio, replacing it with a sentence of life without parole for capital crimes. The bill would also ban the use of state funds for abortion as well as for assisted suicide, which is already illegal in Ohio. 

State Sen. Steve Huffman, R-Tipp City, and Senate Democratic Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, announced in a press conference that they plan to reintroduce the bill. Most Ohioans support the end of the death penalty, a press release by Antonio noted. However, the ACLU Ohio opposed the bill due to its limiting of funds for abortion.

Huffman, a practicing Catholic, said he is “committed to preserving the dignity of all life until natural death.” He cited both fiscal and moral challenges as reasons to abolish capital punishment.

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/261913/environmental-harm-of-chemical-abortions-raises-concerns