Today marks the third anniversary of the US Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wadeand returned the issue of abortion to elected representatives in the states. After this landmark ruling, many state legislatures enacted pro-life laws, with some states even enforcing a total ban on abortion.

Here in North Carolina, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 20/SL 2023-14 in 2023. This law decreased the legal limit for most abortions in North Carolina from 20 weeks to 12 weeks gestation, with limited exceptions. Even with these new limitations, North Carolina has the least restrictive abortion laws in the Southeast with the exception of Virginia. While it is encouraging that so many states are limiting or restricting abortion, there is a growing trend to get around these laws.

Mail-Order Abortion Pills

With just a quick Google search, one can easily find companies that are willing to mail  chemical abortion drugs, regardless of the age of the consumer or the laws in place in the consumer’s state. Women can go online and order these drugs without ever speaking to a medical professional.

Even though this is illegal in North Carolina, there are many bad actors who are mailing thousands of abortion pills to women in our state. An article from 2024 shares that these groups are mailing around 2,000 abortion kits to North Carolina women each month. No doctors, no regulation, no precautions.

The Danger of Skipping the Doctor

The dangers involved in this situation are immense, including the following:

• The abortion drug mifepristone is even more dangerous than previously thought, as a recent study revealed that more than 1-in-10 women experience a serious adverse effect;
• By not seeing a medical professional, women are not receiving the same level of care and education to prevent an adverse effect or handle it effectively if it occurs;
• Some of the pills are coming from overseas, so they are not approved by the FDA and it is impossible to trace their origin or content.

While the Dobbs decision paved the way for states to enact strong pro-life laws, these laws are essentially being rendered void as long as bad actors are allowed to illegally mail chemical abortion drugs.

NC Family strongly supports HB 553, a bill focused on “Ensuring Patient Safety with Mail Order Medications” that would enhance the protections for women and preborn children from the harms of these drugs. While this bill has not moved through the legislative process in North Carolina, our team will continue to pursue meaningful legislative solutions to address this grave concern.

We urge you to join us in continuing to fight this pervasive evil in our communities. Pray for these women and any who might be seeking an abortion. Get involved at your local pregnancy center. And if you’re able, please consider making a generous gift today to help us continue our work making North Carolina a state where life is cherished.