By FOCUS, A Leonine Business
Earlier this month, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) officials under the Trump administration classified birth control pills and IUDs as “abortifacients.” According to The New York Times, the administration stated it would no longer distribute “abortifacient birth control under the guise of foreign aid.” Medical experts widely reject this definition, noting that contraception prevents pregnancy before it begins, while abortion ends an existing pregnancy. However, some pro-life advocates argue certain contraceptives, like IUDs and hormonal pills, may prevent implantation, which they view as ending early human life.
South Carolina’s proposed SB 323 echoes this federal change. The bill, which is scheduled to be heard on October 1, would prohibit most abortions and narrow the definition of contraception to include only methods that prevent fertilization. By excluding methods that act after fertilization, the measure could extend restrictions to IUDs, emergency contraceptives and some hormonal birth control.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new review of mifepristone, a medication used in over 60 percent of abortions nationwide. The review follows a request from 22 Republican attorneys general and references a study from the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Some medical professionals have raised concerns about the study’s methodology, noting the absence of peer review. Observers have suggested that the review could result in changes to telehealth access or drug labeling. In parallel, Florida, Louisiana and Texas have joined a federal lawsuit challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s regulation of mifepristone, reports Bloomberg Law. Louisiana’s filing cites the Comstock Act, a 19th-century statute that prohibits the mailing of materials deemed “obscene”, prompting debate over whether the law could be applied to restrict the distribution of abortion medication nationwide, including in states where abortion remains legal.
In the spring, the Trump administration began freezing Title X funds from nearly 900 clinics across 23 states, including all nine Planned Parenthood grantees, citing executive authority. Provisions within the enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, introduced further funding restrictions, including a one-year ban on Medicaid reimbursements to providers offering abortion services. Earlier this month, a ruling by the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals upheld this provision, allowing the defunding to proceed. As a result, over 1.1 million Medicaid patients can no longer use their insurance for non-abortion services like birth control and STI testing at affected clinics, with up to 200 sites at risk of closure. Legal challenges are ongoing. States like Oregon and Washington are taking action to combat these restrictions while Planned Parenthood in Wisconsin has announced they will no longer offer abortion services to remain compliant.
With only six states having released prefiled bills so far, early trends suggest 2026 could be a record-setting year for reproductive health legislation, signaling a busy and contentious policy season ahead. FOCUS will continue to monitor developments on reproductive health in state legislatures across the country.
by Kiera Casey 9/29/25
