Ohio Right to Life files complaint arguing that abortion pill website violates state law

Ohio Right to Life has filed a complaint with the state of Ohio Department of Health and the State Medical Board, arguing that a pro-abortion website is violating state law in advertising the abortion pill.

The complaint references an Ohio law which requires abortion pill distribution only after an in-person visit with a physician (in September 2024, that law was temporarily placed on hold due to a preliminary injunction while the case continues through the court). Basing its complaint on the original law, Ohio Right to Life says that the website HeyJane.com is promoting mail-order abortion pills to the state’s residents, which would allow them to bypass the physician visit. The pro-life organization notes that the ability for Ohio women to receive mail-order abortion pills without direct physician oversight puts them at a higher risk.

“Online access to ‘discreet’ abortion pills reduces women’s access to necessary healthcare and physician oversight to screen for potential complications and increased risk factors,” Ohio Right to Life said in a press release.

Hey Jane is an organization that builds its entire business model on mailing abortion pills to women so that they can kill their preborn children without ever leaving their homes or seeing a doctor. It launched its website in Ohio last week. In response to the complaint, Hey Jane told Statehouse News Bureau that it wants women to have access to ‘safe’ abortion care.

“It is deeply important to Hey Jane that Ohioans have access to accurate, factual information that allows them to make informed decisions about accessing high-quality and safe abortion care,” Kiki Freedman, co-founder and CEO of Hey Jane said.

Though it touts giving women what they need to make an informed decision, it is unlikely that this abortion organization tells women that they risk experiencing side effects such as severe cramping, heavy bleeding, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and headaches, or that some of these side effects may be so severe that they might need to seek emergency medical care. It also likely won’t tell them that a chemical abortion has been found to be four times more dangerous than a surgical abortion, or that they may experience trauma after delivering their dead child at home.

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It is dangerous side effects like these that Ohio Right to Life is hoping to minimize.

“This website is putting Ohio women’s health at risk,” said Emma Martinez, Director of Legislative Affairs at Ohio Right to Life. “For the sake of a woman’s health, they are legally required to physically meet with a physician before being prescribed abortion pills in order to make sure there are no health complications. Hey Jane is breaking Ohio’s law and throwing women’s health to the side, only caring about their agenda to push abortions on women.”

In a written statement, the Ohio Department of Health said it would look into the complaint, though it noted, “After an initial review, it appears at least some elements of the complaint may fall outside the department’s regulatory authority, in which case the department will share the complaint with the appropriate agency.”