Mike Pence urges Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to resign over inaction on abortion pill safety review

Former Vice President Mike Pence joined the rising conservative chorus on Monday accusing the Health and Human Services Department of foot-dragging on the abortion pill by calling on Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to step down.

“There’s no question that pro-life Americans played a key role in returning President Trump to the White House,” Mr. Pence said in a statement. “Unfortunately, RFK has been unable or unwilling to deliver on his many promises to the pro-life movement – including a review of the dangerous chemical abortion pill that millions of pro-lifers consider the bare minimum for a pro-life administration.”

The statement was issued by the Advancing American Freedom Foundation, the conservative group founded by Mr. Pence in 2021.

“Secretary Kennedy should step aside and give President Trump the opportunity to select a new HHS Secretary who will deliver pro-life results for the American people!” Mr. Pence said.

In a separate memo, the AAF took a harder line, saying that Mr. Kennedy “continues to refuse to review the dangerous chemical abortion pill, mifepristone,” despite his promises to Republican lawmakers and attorneys general.

“RFK Jr. has followed in the footsteps of the Obama and Biden administrations by stonewalling pro-life efforts at HHS,” said the foundation. “It’s time to kick this progressive wolf in pro-life sheep’s clothing to the curb. RFK Jr. must go.”

The criticism comes from Republicans and pro-life groups growing increasingly frustrated with the Food and Drug Administration’s pace on the promised safety review of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in the at-home abortion protocol.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America and Live Action, two of the nation’s largest pro-life groups, both called last week for FDA Commissioner Marty Makary to be fired after Bloomberg reported that the agency is slow-walking a safety review until after the midterms in 2026.

Mr. Pence may no longer hold sway with President Trump after their public split in 2021, but the former vice president remains an influential figure with evangelical Christians, a key voting bloc in the Trump coalition at odds with Mr. Kennedy on the abortion issue.

Of course, Mr. Kennedy also has his supporters. Mr. Pence’s post on X drew a slew of comments praising RFK Jr. and denouncing the former Trump veep as a “Judas,” “RINO,” and supporter of “big pharma.”

Mr. Kennedy may not be pro-life – he said last year that he backs elective abortion until fetal viability – but he’s an outspoken proponent of drug safety.

In September, he and Mr. Makary assured 22 Republican state attorneys general that the FDA would conduct an independent review “related to the safety and efficacy of the drug.” But conservatives said they have seen nothing to suggest such a study is underway.

“RFK Jr. told the Senate he would review the safety of the abortion pill. That commitment mattered because the FDA removed long-standing safeguards without clear justification,” the foundation wrote on X. “What followed was not a review. It was silence.”

On top of that, the agency approved in October a generic version of mifepristone, infuriating pro-life advocates and Republicans who characterized it as a slap in the face.

“Instead of restoring safeguards or addressing safety concerns, the FDA approved another chemical abortion drug,” the foundation said. “That decision moved policy further from accountability, not closer to it.”

Promises were made. Data was ignored. safeguards were not reinstated. Oversight was blocked. This is not how a serious regulatory agency should operate.

RFK Jr. must go. pic.twitter.com/HpOrTcjZKo

— Advancing American Freedom (@AmericanFreedom) December 15, 2025

Conservatives have raised alarm about recent studies showing that pill-related ER visits are on the rise and that the number of serious adverse health effects from mifepristone is 22 times higher than indicated on the FDA-approved label.

In a letter, Mr. Makary assured Senate Republicans on Thursday that the FDA is “reviewing the evidence,” but declined to produce the documents requested by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, citing pending litigation.

Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy, Louisiana Republican, blasted Mr. Makary’s response as “unacceptable,” while the foundation accused Mr. Kennedy of “stonewalling.”

“Promises were made. Data was ignored. Safeguards were not reinstated. Oversight was blocked,” the foundation said. “This is not how a serious regulatory agency should operate. RFK Jr. must go.”

HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard has dismissed allegations that the department is slow-walking a mifepristone review as “baseless.”

She said Monday that the “FDA is taking the time needed to conduct comprehensive scientific evaluations, and Commissioner Makary is ensuring this work aligns with the Department’s commitment to rigorous, evidence-based review.”

Mr. Makary said last week in an interview with the Daily Signal that the agency is conducting an ongoing review of mifepristone as part of its standard protocol, as well as “engaging in robust study” of the drug’s safety.

The FDA has long taken the position that mifepristone, which blocks progesterone and stops the pregnancy from progressing, is safe and effective for use through 10 weeks’ gestation.