A prominent pro-life organization, the Restoration of America Foundation (ROAF), is urging the Trump administration to leverage the 1873 Comstock Act, a federal law criminalizing the mailing of abortion-related materials, to halt the nationwide distribution of abortion pills. The group’s report highlights that Democrat-led state shield laws are facilitating the shipment of mifepristone into states with abortion restrictions without requiring in-person medical evaluations or confirmation of voluntary consent, a practice they argue is amplified by FDA policy changes that suspended and then permanently removed the in-person dispensing requirement. ROAF estimates that by June 2025, nearly 15,000 medication abortions monthly will be provided under these shield laws, and by the end of 2024, approximately 15% of all U.S. abortions could be from mailed pills, contributing to an estimated 300,000 mail-order abortions in 2025 alone. Citing an analysis showing serious adverse health events in 10.9% of drug-induced abortions from 2017-2023, significantly higher than FDA-reported rates, ROAF contends that enforcing the Comstock Act, despite the Biden administration’s Office of Legal Counsel opinion that exempts mailings without unlawful intent, would effectively ban these shipments nationwide and save hundreds of thousands of lives. They are calling for the withdrawal of the Biden opinion, investigations into providers, and the strict enforcement of the Comstock Act, arguing that its enforceability is renewed post-Roe v. Wade, presenting a significant opportunity for the pro-life movement heading into the upcoming election cycles.
Adapted from: Latest Political News on Fox News
