Planned Parenthood Sues to Stop Alaska Ban on Mail-Order Abortions

Planned Parenthood sued the state of Alaska on Thursday to overturn a law requiring the dangerous abortion pill to be dispensed in approved medical facilities.

That’s a law that blocks mail order abortions that are killing babies, putting women’s health at risk and enabling predators to target women.

Desperate to sell more abortions, Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai‘i, Alaska, Indiana, and Kentucky, filed the complaint in Anchorage Superior Court. It asks the court for a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of the law while the case is litigated and for a declaration that the restriction is unconstitutional.

The lawsuit targets Alaska Statute 18.16.010(a)(2), which requires that abortions killing babies be done in a hospital or other facility approved by the Department of Health.

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Planned Parenthood claims this facility requirement violates the privacy rights of Alaskans under the state constitution by forcing customers to travel to abortion centers.

More than 60,000 Alaskans live off the road system and must travel by plane to reach the only two public abortion businesses in the state, located in Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Alaska’s acting Attorney General Cori Mills said the department will defend the law. “We will have to review the complaint and have no comment on the specific allegations,” Mills stated. “As a general matter, the department will defend the law, which carries a presumption of constitutionality and represents state policy validly enacted by the legislature and the governor.”

The case is pending in Alaska state court.

The action comes amid heightened national scrutiny of mail-order abortion pills.

The FDA has launched a safety study of mifepristone, the primary drug used in chemical abortions. The review, expected to take about six months, is examining risks associated with the drug, particularly when distributed remotely without in-person medical oversight.

A recent analysis of commercial insurance claims involving 865,727 mifepristone prescriptions from 2017 to 2023. It found 94,605 women — nearly 11% — suffered serious complications within 45 days, including hemorrhage in 3.31% of cases, emergency room visits in 4.73%, and sepsis in 0.10%.

Peer-reviewed research found three quarters of ER visits within 30 days after abortion drug use were coded as severe or critical. Two separate, independent studies also found more than 1 in 10 women experience at least one severe adverse event. Complications can include hemorrhaging, infection, sepsis, and even death.

Other issues encompassed infections, transfusions, hospitalizations and life-threatening events like cardiac problems or anaphylaxis. In nearly 3% of cases, the drug failed, requiring surgical follow-up. Multiple women have died from the abortion pill.

A large national poll found 7 in 10 voters want to roll back Biden’s mail-order abortion drug rule and reinstate safeguards like in-person doctor visits.