Hawley Calls for Criminal Investigation of Abortion Pill Network Plan C

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., sent a letter Thursday to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche asking the Department of Justice to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, an organization he described as a "left-wing dark-money operation" that functions as the central referral and logistics hub for shipping abortion pills into states where the drugs are restricted by law.

In the letter, obtained first by Fox News Digital, Hawley wrote that Plan C connects women in states such as Florida, Oklahoma and Texas with abortion-pill manufacturers, foreign clinics and online vendors willing to mail the drugs into the United States despite state laws limiting or banning such shipments. He noted that Plan C's own website acknowledges that pills sold through some of the vendors it recommends are "not regulated or inspected by the US government."

Hawley also alleged that Plan C directs women to providers willing to prescribe abortion pills through 14 weeks of pregnancy, beyond both the FDA's approved labeling for mifepristone and the limits set by several states, and that the group advises users on shielding their "digital footprint" by recommending privacy-focused browsers, virtual private networks and encrypted email.

The senator argued the group's conduct could violate multiple federal laws, including provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act governing prescription drugs, statutes barring the importation of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, and federal conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting laws. "I therefore respectfully refer this matter to the Department to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, its relationship with potential co-conspirator manufacturers, and the network of suppliers it promotes," Hawley wrote, asking that the probe extend to the foreign clinics and online vendors shipping the drugs into the country.

The referral follows earlier findings from pro-life researchers that shield laws in Democrat-led states have allowed hundreds of thousands of abortion pills to be mailed into states with abortion bans in recent years. Fox News Digital said it reached out to Plan C for comment on Hawley's letter.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Priests for Life welcomes Sen. Hawley's push for accountability. Mail-order abortion pills marketed as simple and safe too often reach women in crisis with no doctor, no ultrasound and no real counseling about the risks or alternatives available to them. Shipping these drugs across state lines to evade laws meant to protect women and their unborn children should never go unexamined.

Sources: Fox News reporting by Stephen Sorace on Sen. Josh Hawley's letter to the Justice Department.

Related: Readers can learn more about the risks of chemical abortion and telehealth abortion-pill distribution through pro-life medical and legal advocacy organizations.