Makary, Makary Stuck in Quite the Quagmire-y

In September, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. bowed to Senator Josh Hawley’s (R-Minn.) beloved junk science “study” about the abortion pill mifepristone being unsafe and promised to re-review the medication for any “adverse effects.” But, similar to how the GOP rebranded a “federal abortion ban” as a “minimum national standard” ahead of the 2024 election, Makary seems well aware that killing reproductive rights is not popular among Americans—and is now reportedly delaying the process.

According to Bloomberg, who spoke with several people familiar with the matter, Makary has reportedly been stalling the mifepristone review until after the 2026 midterms—an election Republicans seem to be scared shitless about after getting rinsed in November, as well as pretty much every other election this year. And with the GOP’s grip on their slim 219-214 majority in the House of Representatives and 53-47 majority in the Senate continuing to wobble, they clearly understand that the last thing they should be doing is reminding Americans about their agenda to obliterate abortion access.

Because, of course, the majority of Americans continue to support reproductive rights. In July, a joint study by the Associated Press and the National Opinion Research Center revealed 64% of the public said abortion should be legal; and in 2024, Pew Research confirmed that in 34 states and Washington, D.C., more people said abortion should be legal in all or most cases than say it should be illegal in all cases—a moderate increase from pre-Dobbs trends. But God forbid the GOP listen to the majority of Americans.