White House Officials Told the DOJ To Delay Action on Abortion Ahead of the Midterms
The Washington Sun, October 2, 2026
“The White House has instructed the Justice Department to move slowly on any abortion-related actions ahead of the midterm elections, The Washington Sun has learned. In a series of discussions, senior White House officials, led by White House chief of staff Susan Wiles, directly delivered the message to Attorney General Todd Blanche, according to a senior administration official not authorized to discuss the matter publicly. Wiles suggested that an aggressive approach on abortion would generate unwanted attention, something the officials worried could alienate voters ahead of the November elections … The DOJ has consistently asked federal judges to pause ongoing lawsuits that seek to restrict access to the abortion drug mifepristone until the Food and Drug Administration completes a review of the drug’s safety and effectiveness. A departure from that strategy would create unfavorable headlines just before voters head to the polls, the White House officials made clear to Blanche.”
FDA Says It Will Complete Safety Review of Abortion Pills in March
NBC News, October 7, 2026
“The Food and Drug Administration expects to complete its safety review of the abortion pill mifepristone in March, according to a court document the Justice Department filed Wednesday. In the filing, the FDA said it plans to compare mifepristone’s safety to that of surgical abortions through 10 weeks’ gestation. Its review will measure the frequency of side effects among roughly 100,000 women who took mifepristone, it said. Results of the FDA’s review are expected in mid-December. From there, the agency will analyze the data and draft a final report – a process it expects to wrap up in March. The FDA approved mifepristone in 2000, and hundreds of peer-reviewed studies have found it to be safe and effective. The FDA temporarily eliminated a requirement to dispense mifepristone in person in 2021, then finalized the change in 2023. It said Wednesday that it plans to re-evaluate that decision based on the new data it collects. It may weigh the views of patients, providers and pharmacists, as well as additional studies it did not consider in 2023.”
Abortion Foes Plan To Push Pill Restrictions in the States
Stateline, October 7, 2026
“As they await a federal decision on a potential nationwide ban on telehealth abortions, anti-abortion activists plan to push more states to require women to visit a doctor’s office, get an ultrasound or wait before they can get abortion pills. Under its current guidelines, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require in-person visits, ultrasounds or waiting periods for women seeking abortion pills. Nevertheless, 10 states without total abortion bans still require them… In statehouses, the midterm elections could determine whether more states will seek to restrict medication abortion. Meanwhile, Democratic control of Congress could doom President Donald Trump’s nominee for FDA commissioner. During her confirmation hearing last month, nominee Heidi Overton would not say whether she would recommend changes to mifepristone regulation, but in the past she has expressed anti-abortion views and written that the medication is dangerous.”
Research Suggests Women Living in States With Abortion Bans Bear Higher Health Insurance Costs
Stateline, October 6, 2026
“New preliminary research from the University of Michigan shows women living in states with post-New preliminary research from the University of Michigan shows women living in states with post-Dobbs abortion bans may be more likely to shoulder costs for employer-sponsored health insurance premiums, with federal data reflecting a 5.4% increase in annual premium expenditures for those women after 2022, when most abortion bans went into effect … ‘State abortion bans were associated with an increase in women’s likelihood of paying out-of-pocket for health insurance premiums,’ the study said. The findings also showed even higher premium expenditures for Black and Hispanic women, at 12.8% and 13.7%, respectively. The findings were not present among men, and the majority of the women in the sample had incomes above 250% of the federal poverty level. ‘Our results are suggestive that post-Dobbs abortion bans led to insurers passing more premium costs to beneficiaries,’ the study said. ‘Our findings shed light on the more far-reaching effects of abortion bans, quantifying the extent to which they pose an economic burden to individuals and families.’”
‘Destructive’: Nearly $9 Million in HHS Grants Go to Groups With Anti-Abortion Ties
Autonomy News, October 6, 2026
“Two organizations with anti-abortion ties will receive almost $9 million in federal reproductive health grants, a source at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) tells Autonomy News. Both awards appear in a public database. The grants will fund training centers intended to support organizations receiving funds from the Title X program, the only federal family planning initiative for low-income people. Since 1970, it has provided birth control, pregnancy testing and options counseling, and STI testing to uninsured or underinsured clients. The Trump administration has refocused Title X to promote childbearing – and proposed ending it altogether … Like all other recent HHS grant guidelines, these funding opportunities required applicants to ‘align’ their proposals with agency priorities, which include ending diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, denying the existence of transgender people, excluding abortion access resources, and protecting ‘parental rights to direct the religious upbringing of their children.’”
ICYMI: In Case You Missed It
Today’s jobs data show another dismal month of job growth with just 29,000 new jobs added in September and downward revisions for July and August. The overall unemployment rate remained steady, though Black women’s unemployment rate jumped dramatically from 5.6 percent in August to 6.8 percent in September, driven by more Black women joining the labor market but not being able to find work.
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Note: The information contained in this publication reflects media coverage of women’s health issues and does not necessarily reflect the views of the National Partnership for Women & Families.
