WASHINGTON, D.C.— Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs’ Africa Subcommittee, today warned that the global spread of abortion pills, now aggressively promoted by the United Nations and foreign-funded NGOs is an existential threat to women and children, particularly in Africa.
According to a press release issued on Wednesday, October 22, 2025, Congressman Smith expressed deep concern over Liberia’s pending Public Health Act amendment, which seeks to legalize abortion on demand and expand access to abortion pills. “Supporters are falsely claiming that abortion pills will save lives,” Smith said. “But the evidence—and the experience of nations that have gone down this path—show the opposite.”
Smith said that “While we have long known that the abortion pill—mifepristone—causes the starvation death of children alive in the womb but not yet born—it is baby poison—we now know with greater certitude that their mothers are also being seriously harmed as well.”
Smith noted that “In a first-of-its-kind study, “The Abortion Pill Harms Women”, the Ethics and Public Policy Center (EPPC) on April 28th revealed that serious adverse events from mifepristone are approximately 22 times more frequent than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently recognizes.
“That’s absolutely shocking; the abortion pill is not safe and the cover-up must end,” he said.
According to Smith, “This largest-ever study of the abortion pill shows that, following a mifepristone abortion, 11% of women experience sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, or another serious or life-threatening adverse event. That is, over one in ten patients experience at least one serious adverse event. Again, that is shocking.”
Smith announced forthcoming legislation—the Safe Passages Act—to address the real drivers of maternal mortality: “My new legislation will expand access to trained health workers, emergency obstetric care, safe blood, and rural healthcare infrastructure. These are the pathways to life and dignity, not the mass distribution of $5 baby poison pills.”
Smith noted that Liberia’s abortion expansion campaign is heavily funded from abroad. “Ireland, UNFPA, and UNICEF are financing an initiative called The Protect, Empower, and Nurture Programme, and even the newspaper coverage promoting the abortion bill was paid for by Sweden,” he said.
“This is a new form of neo-colonialism—outsiders using development funds to impose abortion on African nations under the false banner of women’s rights.”
Smith concluded, “Abortion pills are not healthcare—they are chemical violence against both mother and child. The world must reject this deception. True compassion demands we invest in life-saving maternal care, not life-ending drugs. Liberia’s children—and their mothers—deserve far better.”
