Protecting Life from Chemical Abortions Act

This bill would block the federal government from declaring a public health emergency about abortion and would end any such declaration already in place if the bill became law. It would also bring back the rule that abortion pills must be given in person at a clinic, medical office, or hospital by (or under) a certified health care provider. The FDA could not choose to ignore or waive these rules. This change would take effect as soon as the bill becomes law. The bill also says the FDA cannot loosen these rules until every state sends standard abortion data to the CDC (for example, patient age, weeks pregnant, method used, and county of residence). According to the provided summary, this would undo FDA changes made in 2023 that allowed certified retail pharmacies to dispense mifepristone and ended the in-person pickup rule.

Key points

• Who is affected: Patients seeking medication abortion; health care providers; pharmacies; federal health officials; state health departments.
• What changes: No public health emergency can be declared about abortion; in-person pickup of abortion pills is required again; the FDA cannot ignore or relax these rules; no easing of rules until all states share standard abortion data with the CDC .
• When: The in-person dispensing rule would restart on the day the bill becomes law; the public health emergency ban would take effect immediately as well .