© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.
All rights reserved.
Version 6.20.1
Criminalizing pregnancy outcomes is a dystopian nightmare that punishes women for health care decisions. Kentucky doesn't even ban self-managed abortion, yet this woman faces the death penalty for ordering pills online — a common practice used by one in four abortion patients nationwide. Medical experts agree first-trimester pill abortions are safe, but instead of offering care and support after pregnancy loss, authorities treat women with criminal suspicion based on tips from health care workers who should be protecting patient privacy.
Kentucky has every right to protect unborn life through criminal prosecution, and these abortion pills pose serious dangers that justify aggressive enforcement. The adverse event rate for chemical abortion drugs is 22 times higher than FDA labels report, with complications far exceeding what's acknowledged. Mifepristone now accounts for over 60% of America's million-plus annual abortions, and mail-order distribution without in-person medical evaluation puts women at severe risk while enabling the destruction of developed fetuses.