Hawley seeks criminal probe of abortion pill makers
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- Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche committed in a hearing last week to stopping the shipment of abortion medication through the mail.
- Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) sent Blanche a letter two days later, referring the nonprofit Plan C and manufacturer Danco Laboratories for criminal investigation.
- Hawley's letter accused Plan C and drug manufacturers of a "coordinated effort...to violate state law at the expense of women's health" — a framing Autonomy News reporter Garnet Henderson noted echoes Department of Justice allegations against gender-affirming care providers.
- The FDA is moving ahead with a safety study of mifepristone, one of two drugs typically used in medication abortions — a study antiabortion activists pushed for despite the drug being FDA-approved and used safely for decades.
- Voters in four states will weigh abortion-related ballot questions this fall, testing public polling that shows most Americans believe abortion should be legal in most cases.
Why it matters: Hawley's criminal referral targets Plan C, a nonprofit that helps patients access abortion pills, and Danco Laboratories, a primary U.S. manufacturer of mifepristone — meaning federal prosecution could choke off medication-abortion supply even in states where it remains legal. The escalation lands as four states this fall will put abortion access to a direct popular vote.
