Rosalie Markezich found out she was pregnant in October 2023. A childcare worker in Louisiana, Rosalie was happy to be pregnant and looked forward to being a mother. Her boyfriend, however, who was initially supportive of the pregnancy, changed his mind and decided he didn't want the child.
Rosalie's boyfriend was able to obtain abortion drugs from a doctor in California without Rosalie's consent. The boyfriend had the drugs sent directly to Rosalie's house, and confronted her about taking them while sitting in his car. Rosalie tried to lie and say she had, but her boyfriend didn't believe her and became angry. He told her that having a child would 'ruin his life,' and didn't listen to Rosalie's objections. Rosalie, a survivor of domestic abuse, became frightened and took the pills.
Rosalie lost the pregnancy. "I did not want to have an abortion," she said to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
What's important to note here is that those drugs are illegal in Louisiana, and the doctor who prescribed the drugs never once spoke to Rosalie. But because the Biden Food and Drug Administration (FDA) removed all guardrails to accessing the drug, stories like Rosalie's are far too common.
So too are stories of women who have been harmed by the pill, even though they took it willingly. That's because the FDA incorrectly said the risk of serious complications from the abortion pill was 0.5 percent, eleven times lower than it actually is. In other words, 10.93 percent of women who take the pill can face complications including infection, sepsis, and hemorrhage.
Rosalie, along with the state of Louisiana, filed a lawsuit against the FDA, Markezich v. FDA, challenging its 2023 decision removing the in-person requirement for the administration of the abortion drug.
Now, pro-life groups and women like Rosalie are calling on Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to settle Markezich v. FDA.
NEW — In a new letter to Acting U.S. AG Todd Blanche, women harmed by abortion drugs “respectfully but urgently” ask the DOJ to “side with Rosalie Markezich and settle her legal case immediately so abortion drugs are no longer sent through the mail in ways that put women at… pic.twitter.com/MAlSg8RXsE
— SBA Pro-Life America (@sbaprolife) July 8, 2026
A group of survivors has sent a letter to Blanche, asking him 'respectfully but urgently' to side with Markezich and the state of Louisiana.
The letter reads in part:
The FDA’s illegal abortion drug policy is responsible for this danger, and it is the same policy the Department is defending in court. This is not abstract. Rosalie herself says, “If mail-orderabortion wasn’t a thing, I’m 100% sure I would have my child …. I do not believe a doctor would have prescribed me the drugs if I told her I did not want them.”
These drugs were placed in her hands without an in-person medical visit, without meaningful screening for coercion, and without the protection of a medical professional who could have looked her in the eye and asked whether this was truly her choice. She has said the trauma still haunts her.
Acting Attorney General Blanche, we respectfully but urgently ask you to side with Rosalie Markezich and settle her legal case immediately so abortion drugs are no longer sent through the mail in ways that put women at risk. The federal government should not defend policies that make it easier for men, abusers, traffickers, or anyone else to obtain abortion drugs in a woman’s name and pressure her to take them in isolation.
During a media call, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America spoke about Rosalie and other women negatively impacted by the Biden administration's radical pro-abortion agenda.
One of those women was Jessica Williams of Nevada. A registered nurse and mom of eight, Williams found herself pregnant and facing divorce in 2022. She said her life was 'forever changed' by the abortion pill.
"My now ex-husband was pressuring me to abort my pregnancy," Williams said. "The abortion pill, Mifepristone, carries an FDA black box label warning. It is not an over-the-counter medication for a reason. This pill comes with risk to the lives of the baby and mother."
"It should not be this accessible. I remember holding the pills in my own hands. I got them by crossing state lines ... I ordered the online through a chat, delivered to a hotel during COVID, thinking I shouldn't have these," she continued. "No provider met with me. I never had an ultrasound."
"I was at high risk for hemorrhaging and they minimized it. I took the first abortion pill after succumbing to the pressure from my ex-husband," Williams said. "Within the next 24 hours, my mind, body, and spirit spiraled with confusion and a variety of emotions."
"I desperately searched for help, hoping someone could tell me that there was still a chance to save my baby. That search led me to abortion pill reversal. I was connected with a compassionate pregnancy resource center here in Las Vegas where I obtained a free ultrasound, was prescribed the abortion pill reversal, and was supported through one of the hardest times of my life," she said.
Williams added, "Because of abortion pill reversal, my daughter Kaye is alive. She is now three. She's healthy, beautiful, thriving, and one of the greatest blessings of my life."
The reason for the proliferation of the abortion pill is the Biden administration. In an effort to undermine the Dobbs ruling and essentially nullify pro-life laws in states like Louisiana, the Biden administration removed most guardrails around the abortion pill, including the aforementioned in-person visits. That has led to multiple men, and some parents, ordering abortion pills from states like California and New York, where providers ask few questions. Democrats like Governor Gavin Newsom and Kathy Hochul also refuse to extradite the doctors who provide these pills to states where they are illegal.
Women deserve better, and restoring the FDA's in-person requirement, plus rolling back the Biden-era rules surrounding the abortion pill, is a good way to start.