An undercover sting, conducted by RealNewsMichiana.com (RNM), allegedly caught an Indiana abortion facility staffer offering to illegally sell abortion drugs out of her home.
The audio, uploaded to RNM, was then allegedly turned over to law enforcement for their review.
Undercover sting catches abortion staffer offering to illegally sell abortion pills out of home
Indiana Law
Due to a law signed by Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb at the end of the 2022 special legislative session, preborn children are now protected from abortion in Indiana with few exceptions.
“There are three exceptions to the ban on abortions, according to the law: Fatal fetal anomalies, when the mother’s life or health is in danger up to 20 weeks post-fertilization, and in the case of rape or incest up to 10 weeks post-fertilization. Pregnant people cannot be prosecuted under the law for having an illegal abortion but a provider who performs the procedure can face losing his or her license,” USA Today previously reported.
When the law was scheduled to take effect, Clinic for Women owner LaDonna Prince told the Associated Press the facility stopped committing abortions on July 31, calling it “a dark day for Indiana and for the country.”
Abortion proponents challenged the law, but on Monday (August 21, 2023) a 4-1 decision by the Indiana Supreme Court upheld the legislation, allowing it to take effect.
“My office promised to defend Indiana’s pro-life law, and we have done that every step of the way. Today, the Indiana Supreme Court certified its opinion rejecting a constitutional challenge to Indiana’s pro-life law, which protects the lives of innocent, unborn babies. This is great news for Hoosier life and liberty. We defeated the pro-death advocates who try to interject their views in a state that clearly voted for life,” Attorney General Todd Rokita stated in a release following the decision.
Undercover Sting
Days following the Court’s ruling to allow the law to take effect, RealNewsMichiana.com (RNM) reporter Clifton French called the Indianapolis-based Clinic for Women abortion facility.
A report published by RNM claims he made the call after being tipped off that the facility was closing. RNM discovered that the business was closing in Indiana but was moving to Danville, Illinois.
The RNM reporter then “posed as an 8-week pregnant transgender man by the name of Randall Fisher attempting to schedule an appointment in the hopes that the clinic would confirm their closure,” RNM stated in their report.
According to the RNM article, an alleged abortion facility staffer by the name of Bridgette explained to “Fisher” that the business could no longer legally commit abortions. At that point, the undercover caller told Bridgette he was a “trans man” who was 8 to 9 weeks pregnant.
Audio from the undercover sting was uploaded at RNM. In the audio, Bridgette allegedly told “Fisher” that “The State of Indiana is no longer doing abortions.”
When “Fisher” asked for recommendations, the employee referred the caller to other states like “Illinois, New York, or California.”
Asked by “Fisher” if the employee knew of “any pills that I can get,” audio indicates that Bridgette allegedly offered to “check out something for you” and then call the trans man back.
Only one day after Indiana’s abortion ban took effect, an employee at an Indianapolis abortion clinic offered an undercover RNM/RNCI reporter an illegal abortion at her home for $500. It’s all recorded. @michaeljknowles @MattWalshBlog @JamesOKeefeIII https://t.co/SjTntbX303
— Clifton French/REAL News Michiana & Central Ind. (@CliffFrenchTV) August 24, 2023
Offer to Illegally Sell Abortion Drugs from Home
A few hours later, audio suggests that Bridgette called “Fisher” back, telling the reporter, “At home, at my house, I got everything you need… everything you was going to get at the office, I got it at home.”
Audio recordings continued with Bridgette stating, “Basically with the medical abortion, you do it anyway. When you come into the office, all we do is we group you… explain everything. We give you the procedure day where you come back the following day and we give you one pill… and that’s just to stop the growth. That’s Mifeprex to stop the growth.”
“We send you home with 4 tablets. You have 48 hours to place these tablets in your cheeks, in between your cheeks and your gums, I can tell you everything. And you have 48 hours to do that. I always tell the people to do it right before bed time so when you wake up in the morning, you know, the pregnancy is expelled,” Bridgette allegedly added. “So, basically, anyway, you doing it at home with the medical abortion.”
Bridgette then claimed that “in those other states” they will abort children up to 22 weeks but insinuated that they overcharge for abortion, allegedly claiming that her abortion facility was “the cheapest one when we were working.”
Admission Actions Were Illegal
In the audio recordings, Bridgette can be heard telling the undercover caller, “I do have everything you need if you want to get it.”
The abortion staffer then allegedly admits that selling drugs to people out of her home – specifically abortion pills – was not something she was allowed to do.
“This is strictly between me and you, now, you know, because this is not supposed to (unintelligible); we’re not supposed to be doing this,” Bridgette can be heard saying in the undercover sting audio.
Bridgette then explained that in the event the “trans man” was further along – he would need “a little bit more miso” to complete the abortion.
“Miso” refers to misoprostol, the second pill in the FDA approved two-drug abortion pill regimen. The drugs can only be prescribed by licensed clinicians and only dispensed in clinics, hospitals, or pharmacies as well as by mail, according to FDA’s REMS safety requirements.
“I’m not supposed to be doing this because it’s illegal,” the abortion clinic worker allegedly added. “So, we going to act like it’s yesterday.”
“So, do I need to come to you then right now? I mean, I can come right now,” the undercover reporter stated.
“Whenever you want to come and get it baby, it’s up to you!” Bridgette said while laughing. “Now, I’m charging $500.”
“That’s fine. $500 is fine,” the reporter responded.
The staffer then gave the undercover reporter her home address.
“At approximately 8:00pm, reporter Clifton French called Bridgette to let her know he is an investigative reporter and all of the information had already been passed along to the Indiana Attorney General’s Office,” RNM reported.
“My name is Clifton French. I’m an investigative reporter,” French said in the audio. “It’s all recorded. The Attorney General has all of this information already by the way.” RNM reported that at that point, Bridgette hung up.
DIY abortions can be risky, as they often do not confirm gestational age, nor are potentially dangerous ectopic pregnancies ruled out beforehand. Women have reported emotional distress at seeing the bodies of their aborted children during the process.
Pro-life Group Reacts
Outraged by the incident, Voices for Life Executive Director Melanie Lyon said, “Women deserve better than dangerous abortion drugs” and should be “connect[ed] to REAL support.”
“The Indiana abortion industry is invested in one thing: profits, no matter what. This staff member was willing to risk a client’s life by selling hemorrhage-inducing drugs just to make 500 bucks. Both her and the clinic should be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Lyon added, vowing to continue monitoring the Indiana abortion industry and “expose illegal activity like this.”
Live Action News has not independently verified the audio and all parties are presumed innocent until otherwise charged under State law.
