Comstock Act

Anti-abortion organizations sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging him to review the Department of Justice’s authority to use the Comstock Act, an anti-obscenity law from 1873, to prevent mailing abortion pills. Advancing American Freedom co-signed the appeal, which argued that the nearly 150-year-old law was a “dead letter.” The groups thanked Blanche for pledging to evaluate the legal opinion issued by the Department of Justice in 2022.

Anti-abortion groups wrote to U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche urging him to review the Department of Justice’s use of the Comstock Act, a 150-year-old anti-obscenity law. The group argued that using this outdated law to prevent mail delivery of abortion medication is unnecessary because neither sender intent nor recipient intended use are unknowable. These efforts followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health decision and changes made by the FDA regarding mifepristone.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination advanced in the Senate, told faith leaders he would restrict mail-order access to abortion medication. He emphasized collaboration with federal agencies to enforce policies aligning with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. The discussion follows ongoing efforts to limit mifepristone access and debates over the Comstock Act’s potential enforcement.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination advanced in the Senate, told faith leaders he would restrict mail-order access to abortion medication to ensure the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision is enforced nationwide. He stated he is collaborating with Health and Human Services, the FDA, and the White House to implement policies targeting mifepristone, a drug used in early abortions, amid ongoing legal challenges to its mail-order availability.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination advanced in the Senate, told faith leaders he would restrict mail-order access to abortion medication. He is collaborating with U.S. Health and Human Services, FDA, and President Donald Trump's team to make the Dobbs decision permanent. Louisiana sued the FDA over mifepristone's mail-order rule, and anti-abortion groups are pushing to enforce the Comstock Act to block drug mailings.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche pledged to restrict mail-order access to abortion medication during a call with faith leaders, collaborating with federal agencies to enforce the Dobbs decision. He emphasized policies to prevent states from allowing mail-order drugs like mifepristone, which Louisiana is challenging in court.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated he will work to restrict mail-order access to abortion medications like mifepristone, collaborating with federal agencies and the White House. His comments follow a Louisiana lawsuit challenging the FDA's 2023 rule allowing mail delivery of the drug, with anti-abortion groups advocating for enforcement of the 1873 Comstock Act to block such access.

Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated he will take action to restrict mail-order access to abortion medication, collaborating with federal agencies to enforce the Dobbs decision. His comments followed a call with faith leaders and coincide with ongoing legal challenges to FDA rules allowing remote dispensing of mifepristone.

Virginia’s pending reproductive rights amendment faces a legal challenge over a procedural requirement that the House of Delegates clerk failed to send copies to circuit court clerks. Plaintiffs argue the omission violates Virginia’s constitutional amendment process, though a recent law removed this requirement, creating uncertainty about the case’s validity.

Louisiana is attempting to block nationwide mail distribution of mifepristone, an abortion medication, by citing the Comstock Act. The FDA had allowed mail delivery of the drug since 2023, but Louisiana argues this violates federal law. The Supreme Court recently sent the case back for review after overturning a lower court's halt to distribution.

A Columbus-based religious advocacy group, the Center for Christian Virtue, has urged federal prosecutors in Ohio to enforce the 1873 Comstock Act against mail-order providers of abortion medications like mifepristone. The group argues that prior non-enforcement of the law was a policy choice, not a legal determination of unenforceability, as the Supreme Court has not yet banned mail-order abortion drug distribution.

The Supreme Court ruled to continue telehealth access to abortion drug mifepristone, despite dissent from Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. The decision allows access to continue, but advocates warn that the threat to abortion access is still present. Abortions have increased since the Dobbs v. Jackson decision in 2022.

The Supreme Court temporarily preserved telehealth access to mifepristone, a medication used in abortions, amid a legal challenge from Louisiana. The case involves the Comstock Act, an 1873 law that could block mailing abortion-related drugs, potentially impacting states like Virginia where abortion is currently legal. Activist Mark Lee Dickson advocates enforcing the law to create a national abortion ban, while telehealth provider Hey Jane emphasizes its role in reproductive healthcare access.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed telehealth access to mifepristone to continue until the 5th Circuit Court rules on Louisiana's lawsuit challenging the FDA's telehealth access rule. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, citing the Comstock Act and manufacturer losses. The decision brings relief to abortion rights advocates but faces criticism from opponents.

The U.S. Supreme Court allowed telehealth access to abortion medication mifepristone to continue under current FDA rules while the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decides the case Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Thomas citing the Comstock Act as a legal basis to challenge the FDA's rule. Abortion-rights advocates welcomed the decision, while opponents criticized it as endangering patients.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that telehealth access to abortion medication mifepristone can continue under current FDA rules until the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals decides the case Louisiana v. Food and Drug Administration. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, citing the Comstock Act and concerns about irreparable harm. The decision follows a 10-day stay issued after Louisiana officials challenged the FDA's telehealth access rule.