Wisconsin's creative new abortion bill - "Catch Kits"

A new Wisconsin proposal (AB 718) takes a different approach to restricting abortion — instead of focusing on patients or providers, it frames abortion pills as an environmental hazard. Here’s what to know:

• In November 2025, Wisconsin lawmakers introduced a bill that treats medication abortion as a water-quality problem, requiring residents to mail back used pills or “collect” fetal tissue.
• The tissue required to "catch" includes miscarriages as well, because there are times when abortion pills are given to ensure all fetal tissue is expelled.
• Experts say there is no scientific evidence that abortion medication threatens drinking water.
• The proposal reflects a growing trend in states where abortion is legal: using indirect tactics to stigmatize or criminalize reproductive care, including medication abortion.

Why it Matters

Even in states where abortion is legal, laws like this can make women question whether they are doing something dangerous or wrong, which can delay care. At a minimum, the collection of pregnancy remains will be difficult and traumatizing at a time when women are already and understandably vulnerable.

Background

Wisconsin’s proposal, put forward by Representatives Brill and Gustafson and Senator André Jacque on November 25, requires people who use abortion medication to mail back any remaining pills and “collect” pregnancy tissue using state-provided and doctor-distributed kits. The bill claims these steps are needed to prevent pharmaceutical contamination in the water supply. However:

• The FDA and environmental experts report no evidence that mifepristone or misoprostol pose a water-quality risk.
• Wisconsin does not have a state-mandated list of medications to track in its public drinking water, but it does monitor for pesticides (atrazine) and forever chemicals (PFAS). Even antibiotics, which were detected in a 2006 study of waste treatment facilities, are not tracked or reported.

There's some broader context worth noting:

• The WI bill is part of a years-long effort by anti-abortion groups to restrict abortion access via environmental legislation when other avenues fail. Similar legislation was proposed in Arizona, Idaho, Maine, West Virginia, and Wyoming earlier this year - none of the bills have passed as of this date.
• The environmental angle is becoming more desirable now because of Health Secretary Kennedy's MAHA focus. Kennedy has already set an efficacy review of Mifepristone at the federal level (FDA).

Resources

Politico - ‘Using the devil's own tools against them': Abortion opponents turn to environmental laws (2025)
Politico - The next abortion fight could be over wastewater regulation (2022)
Jessica Valenti - Republicans Are Pushing 'Catch Kits' For Miscarriages & Abortion