EPA Begins Study of Abortion Pills in U.S. Drinking Water

The Environmental Protection Agency announced a study that will test for the abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol, along with more than 1,400 other pharmaceuticals, pesticides and chemicals. The agency will select several metropolitan water systems and screen for the compounds; the testing will only determine presence, not concentration or health impact. EPA officials said the effort is part of an “emerging contaminants” program and that results will be published after a year-long data-collection phase.

The Hill

Anti-abortion groups, state attorneys general and some lawmakers have pressed EPA for years to examine whether abortion pills enter the water supply. Students for Life of America (SFLA) has led the push, alleging that more than 50 tons of medical waste from abortion drugs are flushed annually. The campaign intensified after the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in *Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization*, which ended federal abortion protections.

The Hill

EPA said it is working with the water sector to identify participating systems and expects the study to run over the next year. The agency emphasized that the testing is not part of the Safe Drinking Water Act’s routine contaminant-list update and does not trigger regulation. Administrator Lee Zeldin linked the study to the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, stating the agency wants to provide “clarity and peace of mind” for the public.

The Hill

Environmental scientists argue that mifepristone is not a known water contaminant and that testing it diverts resources from chemicals that pose proven risks. Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity, called the focus on abortion pills “a witch hunt” that could delay regulation of genuine hazards. Former EPA Office of Water scientist Betsy Southerland described the effort as “an unprecedented fishing expedition” that sidesteps established monitoring programs. Both scientists and abortion-rights advocates note there is currently no evidence that the pills harm drinking water or public health.

The Hill

• “It is exciting after a very long journey that’s been almost 10 years, to have this be taken seriously enough to be on an official list,” — Kristi Hamrick, head of policy at Students for Life of America (SFLA)

The Hill

• “There are major water contaminants that need to be regulated, and testing for those things can be good as long as regulation happens. And then on the other hand, if we’re wasting time on a witch hunt for … those things like mifepristone, then that’s time and resources we take away from regulating and studying things that that are actually a problem,” — Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity

The Hill

• “This is kind of end-running the whole Safe Drinking Water Act required monitoring program, and going directly to an unprecedented fishing expedition,” — Betsy Southerland, former EPA Office of Water scientist

The Hill

• “We have heard loud and clear that Americans are concerned about potential unknown pollutants lurking in their drinking water,” — Lee Zeldin, administrator

The Hill