A new bill in Congress seeks to ban chemical abortions without a health care provider present, and to regulate the disposal of aborted babies from chemical abortions, citing environmental and public health concerns.

Congresswoman Mary Miller, R-Illinois, introduced the Clean Water for All Life Act on Wednesday outside the U.S. Capitol.

Pro-life advocates argue the active ingredients in abortion pills aren’t fully filtered out by wastewater treatment facilities.

“Every year, more than 50 tons of chemically contaminated medical waste, including blood, placental tissue and the remains of pre-born children, are flushed into America’s water systems as a direct result of chemical abortion pills,” Miller said during a press conference. “Our water systems were never designed to filter these toxic substances.”

Kristi Hamrick, vice president of media and policy at Students for Life of America, echoed the concern over water pollution and its potential link to infertility.

“More than 6 in 10 [fetuses] die from chemical abortion pills,” Hamrick said. “Students for Life ask the question, what happens next? And the reality is, they go into the water.”

Tina Whittington, executive vice president of Students for Life of America, noted her organization had to go to Europe to find a company willing to test U.S. water samples for remnants of the abortion drug.

“We tested it upstream of wastewater, downstream of wastewater and we tested the tap water,” Whittington said. “I want to tell you, it’s in the water.”

Penny Nance, CEO and president of Concerned Women for America, said environmental protection agencies simply aren’t doing their jobs.

“The water we drink contains doses of the abortion drug because the chemicals used to starve unborn children can remain active and unfiltered by the water treatment systems,” Nance said.

The bill is being filed at a time when chemical abortion pills have become the most common abortion method in the U.S.

“If you have a 13-year-old girl who has a cell phone, she has abortion pills in her back pocket because there is no vetting. There is no proof that she’s pregnant, there’s no proof of age.

“Some of the saddest are those who say, ‘I saw my baby. There was a formed child the size of a gummy bear, and I saw that child, and I didn’t know what to do. I was told to flush and just keep flushing,’” Whittington said.

Tom McClusky, director of CatholicVote, said the current practices heavily disregard human dignity: “We take a human being and treat it like a goldfish and flush it. That is not how we are supposed to be treating each other.”

Speakers at the press conference also highlighted the physical and emotional toll the pill takes on women taking them at home. Gwen Anderson, legislative assistant at SBA Pro-Life America, pointed out the stark reality many young women face in their dorm rooms and bathrooms.

“Women are firsthand seeing the truth and experiencing the hurt of abortion,” Anderson said. “They feel the pain of delivering their lifeless child and often see her tiny human form.”

Anderson shared frustration brewing in the pro-life movement against the Trump administration for failing to stop the mail-order abortion protocol.

“The FDA approved a new generic abortion drug, and the Justice Department told survivors of the abortion drug violence to wait a year or more while they study the harms of the drug,” Anderson said.

The Clean Water for All Life Act currently has 14 cosponsors and the backing of several national pro-life organizations.

“We will not accept a system where innocent life is discarded, where women are put at risk,” Miller said in her closing remarks. “The Clean Water for All Life Act is a critical step toward restoring accountability, safeguarding our communities and reaffirming the dignity of every human life.”