The Trump administration reportedly explored how to trace abortion pills in wastewater.
A team of scientists was directed by senior officials from the Environmental Protection Agency this summer to find out if the government could detect traces of the abortion drug mifepristone and if it could be contaminating water supplies, according to The New York Times.
The "highly unusual request" was directed by senior EPA officials following a letter from 25 Republican members of Congress who requested to find out if the abortion drug mifepristone could be contaminating the water supply or if resources could help to develop a testing method. The move was led by Republican Oklahoma lawmakers Sen. James Lankford and Rep. Josh Brecheen.
This is "a practice sought by some anti-abortion activists seeking to restrict the medication now used in over 50 percent of abortions," The Times reports.
New methods for testing could be potentially explored, two people familiar with the request told The Times under the condition of anonymity.
Access to and use of mifepristone, which can be used to terminate a pregnancy and also control high blood sugar among people with Cushing's syndrome, has become a focus for anti-abortion activists following the overturn of Roe v. Wade. Some were apparently frustrated last week with the Food and Drug Administration's move to approve a generic version of the drug.
"The medication essentially prompts a miscarriage, and women sometimes pass fetal remains into the toilet. There is no evidence that abortion pills contaminate Americans’ water supply, and environmental experts have dismissed such claims," The Times reports.