U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) has joined U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) in introducing legislation aimed at withdrawing federal approval of the abortion drug mifepristone and allowing women who say they were harmed by the drug to pursue legal action against its manufacturers.

The proposal, titled the Safeguarding Women from Chemical Abortion Act, would direct the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its approval of mifepristone for abortion use, a news release said. It would also classify the distribution and labeling of the drug for pregnancy termination as violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and create a private right of action for women seeking damages.

“It’s a shame that the federal government has allowed George Soros-funded drug manufacturers to get rich while women suffer from this dangerous abortion drug,” Tuberville said in the release. “One in ten women who take this drug suffer serious health problems and it needs to be banned. These companies need to be put out of business and forced to pay the price for the damage they’ve caused. I’m proud to join this legislation with Sen. Hawley to ban mifepristone and empower the women who have been harmed to hold these pharmaceutical companies accountable.”

Supporters of the bill point to research indicating potential health risks associated with the drug. One recent study found that nearly 11% of women who use mifepristone experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, an emergency room visit or another serious adverse event within 45 days.

The release said that mifepristone, widely used in medication abortions, is manufactured by Danco Laboratories. The company was initially registered in the Cayman Islands and has received financial backing from investors including George Soros and private equity firms. According to the company’s chief financial officer, investments in Danco had been “extremely profitable” as of 2022.

Lawmakers backing the bill argue that the company’s ownership structure limits transparency and shields it from liability, while demand for chemical abortions has increased in recent years.

The full text of the legislation is available at www.tuberville.senate.gov.

Tuberville has consistently advocated against abortion, including efforts targeting policies that allowed taxpayer-funded abortion services within the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense. Those policies were later reversed under the Trump administration.