Republican Senator Josh Hawley has called for a federal criminal investigation into a left-wing abortion group, accusing it of operating as a referral hub for shipping abortion pills into states where they are banned.
In a letter to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Hawley alleges that the group, known as Plan C, connects women with abortion-pill manufacturers, foreign clinics, and online vendors that ship the drugs into states where they are restricted by law.
Hawley describes Plan C as a "left-wing dark-money operation" that serves as the "referral and logistics hub" for distributing abortion drugs into states that prohibit them.
The senator claims that Plan C directs women in states including Florida, Oklahoma, and Texas to foreign clinics willing to mail abortion pills into the United States despite state laws restricting those shipments.
Hawley also says the group points users to online vendors selling abortion drugs without prescriptions, identification, or medical consultations, even though Plan C acknowledges on its website that the pills sold through some of those sites are "not regulated or inspected by the US government."
The senator notes that Plan C advises users on how to limit their "digital footprint" by recommending privacy-focused browsers, virtual private networks, and encrypted email.
Hawley also says Plan C directs women to providers willing to prescribe abortion pills through 14 weeks of pregnancy — beyond the Food and Drug Administration's approved labeling for mifepristone and beyond the limits set by several states.
Hawley argues that the conduct could violate multiple federal laws, including provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act covering prescription drugs, laws prohibiting the importation of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, and federal conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting statutes.
The senator concludes by respectfully referring the 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.
