Eric Hovde compares the morning-after pill to ‘hard narcotics’

Eric Hovde, the Republican nominee for U.S. Senate in Wisconsin, falsely claimed on Aug. 14 that the emergency contraceptive known as the morning-after pill is responsible for the majority of abortions in the United States.

Asked at a luncheon hosted by WisPolitics in Madison whether he is OK with states’ differing abortion policies that force women in states where the procedure is banned have to travel elsewhere, Hovde responded: “Let’s be honest on that. The vast majority of abortions today are done through the day-after pill, so the reality is most abortions are handled, and you’re getting medication delivered, online.”

When the moderator continued, “You’re OK with the preservation of the use of the pill?” Hovde followed up: “Well, look, you’re not changing that. We can all talk in theory; let’s just talk in reality. You’re not changing that. That pill will be around, and just like hard narcotics transferred from state to state or from other countries into our country, medications move all over our [country]. And that’s just reality.”

The “day-after pill” Hovde spoke of is not used in any abortions. Those medications, sold under brand names such as Plan B and Ella, are emergency contraceptives that work by preventing ovulation so that fertilization does not take place, as is noted on the website of the U.S Food and Drug Administration. 

Chris Fleming, a spokesperson for Americans for Contraception, criticized Hovde for spreading misinformation about emergency contraception.

“Hovde’s claim that ‘the vast majority of abortions today are done through the day-after pill’ is patently false and irresponsible,” Fleming said in a press release. “Emergency contraception works by preventing pregnancy before it begins, a fact clearly established by the FDA. His equating emergency contraception with abortion and comparing it to narcotics is reckless and shows a blatant disregard for the health and well-being of Wisconsinites. Eric Hovde must retract his false and harmful statements immediately. Voters deserve accurate information, not fear-mongering.”

It’s possible Hovde misspoke and was talking about abortion medication such as mifepristone, which is used in more than 60% of abortions in the U.S., according to the nonprofit reproductive rights organization Guttmacher Institute.

Republicans at both the state and the federal levels want to ban or restrict access to medication abortion nationwide. Former President Donald Trump said banning medication abortion is something he could do if elected for a second term, and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, wants to make it illegal to send abortion medication through the mail.

Hovde, meanwhile, has made a complete about-face on his abortion position in his 2024 bid for Senate. 

During his failed 2012 Senate campaign, he said he was “totally opposed to abortion.” Hovde was endorsed that year by Wisconsin Right to Life, which said in its endorsement, “Hovde has indicated strong support for federal right-to-life issues should he be elected.”

In his current bid, Hovde says he supports banning abortion at 12- or 14-weeks’ gestation and thinks voters should be able to decide whether abortion remains legal or illegal in their respective states.

Polling shows Hovde’s position is out of step with the views of Wisconsin voters. A Marquette Law School poll published Aug. 7 found that 64% of Wisconsin voters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 

Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin, who is running for reelection against Hovde, supports abortion rights.

“My opponent is as extreme as they come,” Baldwin posted on X in May. “Eric Hovde supported overturning Roe v. Wade and said he’s ‘totally opposed’ to abortion. If elected, he would help Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans pass a national abortion ban. We can’t let him anywhere near the U.S. Senate.”