When the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the power to protect the unborn was finally — and rightfully — returned to the states. Unfortunately, since winning the hard-fought battle for states’ rights in the Dobbs decision, many supposedly pro-life Republicans in state offices seem to have gotten cold feet. Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman represents a notable exception to this rule.
Since Dobbs, out-of-state abortion activists have descended upon Appalachia. They have shifted their focus to chemical abortion — specifically mail-order abortion pills — targeting vulnerable women in rural states. The New York-based nonprofit Mayday Health has begun aggressively purchasing advertisements at gas stations across Kentucky and West Virginia with callous slogans like, "Pregnant? Don’t want to be?" The ads direct residents to websites where they can order abortion-inducing drugs through the mail.
The proliferation of mail-order abortion pills represents an alarming new front in the battle to protect unborn lives. Not only do these so-called “medications” end a developing human life, but they also expose women to physical risks and emotional trauma with no real medical supervision.
It is critical that the pro-life movement recognize and confront this mail-order abortion pipeline. Failure to do so will severely undermine the legislative victories secured in pro-life states. These new laws protecting the unborn are meaningless if out-of-state actors can pump deadly drugs across state lines with impunity.
But they will continue to do just that if state officials don’t intervene.
In 2022, Kentucky lawmakers listened to their constituents and passed House Bill 3, which explicitly bans the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs into the commonwealth. That has not stopped groups like Mayday Health from targeting the Bluegrass State.
Thankfully, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman possesses the intestinal fortitude to enforce the rule of law. He has launched an investigation into these shady operations and issued subpoenas to gas stations running these predatory ads.
“Out-of-state activist groups who are targeting the vulnerable here should be on notice,” Coleman recently warned. “Keep your illegal pills out of our Commonwealth or face the full weight of the Attorney General’s office.”
By launching this investigation, he is taking a stand for state sovereignty and ensuring that interstate telehealth networks can’t be misused to undermine consumer safety. While abortion activists try to hide behind “free speech” justifications, Coleman has made it clear: a New York nonprofit has no constitutional right to advertise and facilitate the delivery of restricted, illegal substances into a state where they are explicitly banned.
Attorney General Coleman is demonstrating the kind of courageous, proactive leadership the pro-life movement desperately needs in this new era. State attorneys general are emerging as the frontline defenders of life, tasked with holding bad actors accountable and preventing out-of-state groups from exploiting their citizens.
Kentucky will be a vital test case. Pro-life advocates nationwide should watch closely and rally behind leaders like Russell Coleman. The post-Roe world requires us to be just as relentless as the abortion industry — and that means ensuring that state laws protecting the unborn are enforced at every level.
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