Attorney General Steve Marshall recently sent multiple cease and desist letters to six companies his office claims are illegally advertising, facilitating and enabling the sale and procurement of abortion-inducing medication.
Marshall has made abortion pills a major target for his office since 2022, when the U.S. Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down Roe v. Wade, allowing the state's near-total ban on abortions to go into effect.
Even though surgical abortions are illegal in the state, women can still travel to other states to receive an abortion. However, the industry of ordering abortion pills over the internet presented a loophole that Marshall's office sought to address directly.
The letters demand that the companies halt all advertising, sale, and delivery of abortion-inducing drugs to consumers in Alabama. The letters assert that failure or refusal to comply will trigger a formal investigation and possible legal action for unlawful trade practices, including civil penalties of up to $2,000 per violation under Alabama's consumer protection statutes.
"Alabama's law is clear, abortion is illegal in this state," Marshall said. "These companies are not only breaking the law, they are deceiving Alabama consumers about the very real dangers of these drugs. That stops now. Anyone who tries to exploit Alabamians for profit while flouting our laws will be prosecuted to the fullest extent permitted by law."
Performing self-managed abortions is not a rare occurrence. Entire organizations, such as Plan C, exist to "normalize the self-directed option of abortion pills by mail," regardless of state restrictions.
Self-directed abortions are mainly designed around administering "abortion pills," typically a two-stage administration of Mifepristone and misoprostol.
Under Alabama law, the use, prescription, or administration of any "medicine, drug, or any other substance or device with the intent to terminate the pregnancy of a woman known to be pregnant" is illegal. Marhsall thus claims it is unlawful for out-of-state companies to send abortifacients by mail to individuals in Alabama.
The letters also raise concerns that the companies are misleading consumers in Alabama about the safety of the drugs, citing a 2025 analysis of 865,727 women prescribed Mifepristone, 10.93% of whom experienced serious adverse symptoms, including sepsis, infection, hemorrhaging, and other life-threatening complications.
In addition to Plan C, the letters were sent to multiple out-of-state and out-of-country companies, including Southern Woven, Ybycmeds, Abortion Pills in Private, Red State Access, and Cambridge Reproductive Health Consultants.
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