The next salvo in the crusade to ban abortion is now clear. Anti-abortion activists have launched what they’re privately calling “Rolling Thunder” — a coordinated campaign to pressure the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to restore restrictions on mifepristone, a popular drug used in the US to end pregnancies. Under Rolling Thunder, the existence of which was first reported by POLITICO, activists also plan to bring new lawsuits against doctors who prescribe abortion medication, and continue lobbying to strip the drug from the market entirely.

Their vision relies heavily on a new report claiming mifepristone causes high rates of health complications — contradicting decades of rigorous drug safety testing. Citing the report, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley introduced a bill on Tuesday to reimpose mifepristone restrictions, and to allow patients to sue telehealth abortion providers who prescribe it. This comes amid another legal attack on a New York abortion provider, who faces a first-of-its-kind criminal charge for prescribing abortion pills to the mother of a pregnant minor in Louisiana.

The FDA approved mifepristone 25 years ago, and it’s used today in two-thirds of abortions in America. Abortion pills have become the most common method for ending pregnancies in the US, partly due to their safety record and lower cost, combined with diminished access to in-person care. While states have ramped up abortion restrictions since Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, access to abortion pills has actually significantly expanded since, helping to explain why there were more US abortions in 2023 than in any year since 2011. Reinstating federal restrictions on mifepristone could effectively end telemedicine abortion access, in which patients consult with abortion providers remotely, and which thousands of people in states with bans rely on each month for care.

While activists’ current focus is on telehealth bans, physician intimidation, and shortening the legal window to use mifepristone, anti-abortion leaders were explicit on a private Zoom call that this all just represents a “first step” ahead of pushing to ban the drug entirely.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has continued to send mixed signals. In April, Marty Makary, Trump’s pick to lead the FDA, said that while he has “no plans” to restrict mifepristone, he........

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