Attorneys general from Kansas and 13 other states, along with 19 Republican members of Congress, have urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to classify the abortion medication mifepristone as a water contaminant and regulate it.
The request, sent to EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin, argues that mifepristone is a growing threat to the country’s waterways. In a letter signed by state officials from Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas, the signers also describe a possible pathway into the environment through excretion or disposal of pharmaceutical waste.
Environmental health science experts cited in the report say there is no evidence that mifepristone in wastewater harms the environment or people. The Center for Biological Diversity says there is no evidence medication abortion affects U.S. water systems, including drinking water and aquatic wildlife. The letter also references a 1996 FDA statement that harmful environmental effects from mifepristone were not anticipated, while noting that trace amounts in water are common and that water-monitoring protocols exist.
As context, the story notes that in 2025, state lawmakers in seven states introduced multiple bills addressing claims about medication abortion and its environmental effects, including proposals to test for mifepristone in water systems. The Iola Register reports on the parallel letters and the Supreme Court decision that preserved telehealth access to mifepristone pending further legal review.