The women forced to abort: How U.S. law enables abusers

Women are being forced to have abortions by significant others who obtain abortion pills by mail — a largely unregulated practice, with some companies operating outside the healthcare system.

In Glasgow, Kentucky, this year a man allegedly replaced his girlfriend’s medication with abortion drugs. Her baby survived — but in many other cases, women have lost their babies due to the rising crime of forced abortions, documented in a recent tracker by Heartbeat International, a worldwide pregnancy help center group.

The abortion pill can be shipped across state lines via telehealth medicine; in some cases, the abortionist doesnʼt even have a video call with the person ordering the abortion drug, making it easy to impersonate a pregnant woman.

The abortion pill has been left largely unregulated by Trump’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in spite of documented danger to women as well as unborn babies.

Heartbeat International has documented 17 reported incidents going back to 2007. Two abortion pill poisonings have already been documented this year — and these are just the incidents that are reported.

Andrea Trudden, spokesperson for Heartbeat International, said the actual number is probably much higher.

“Publicly reported cases likely represent only a fraction of what is actually occurring,” Trudden said in a statement shared with EWTN News.

“Many women never report what happened to them, particularly when the person responsible is someone they know and trust,” Trudden continued. “By creating this tracker, we hope to provide a factual resource that helps illuminate patterns that might otherwise go unnoticed.”

The tracker includes a case in Texas where a pregnant woman lost her child in the fourth month of pregnancy after a man allegedly secretly drugged her with abortion pills.

“We are hearing from more women who feel pressured into abortions they do not want, many coerced or forced abortions, and we are increasingly hearing from women who believe they are being poisoned with abortion drugs,” Christa Brown, senior director of Medical Impact for Heartbeat International who oversees the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, said in a statement. “Many of these women are frightened, confused, and unsure where to turn. They often are afraid that no one will believe them.”

In another case in Texas in 2025, Justin Anthony Banta was charged with capital murder after he spiked his girlfriend’s drink with crushed abortion pills, killing her unborn child.

“Every woman deserves to make decisions about her pregnancy free from coercion, threats, manipulation, violence, or deception,“ Brown said. ”When abortion drugs become increasingly accessible outside traditional medical settings, opportunities for misuse also increase.”

In another case in Ohio in 2024, Ohio physician Hassan Abbas allegedly forced crushed abortion drugs into his pregnant girlfriend’s mouth, leading to the death of her unborn child.

Rosalie Markezich’s boyfriend allegedly pressured her into taking abortion drugs. Fearing for her safety, she took the pills and lost her unborn baby. Later, she took legal action, becoming involved in an abortion pill lawsuit against the FDA.

“The stories we hear every week remind us that these drugs can be used not only for abortion but, in some cases, as tools of control and abuse,” Brown said.

What is being done about forced abortions?

Advocates for women and children pointed to concrete political action as well as the accessibility of pregnancy centers for women in need.

Kristi Hamrick, a spokeswoman for Students for Life Action, called on the Trump administration to take action.

“The chemical abortion pill policies left in place by the Trump administration empower abusers and pill pushers and abandon women and children,” Hamrick told EWTN News. “That must change.”

“There is so much that must be done, as chemical abortion pills are the abuserʼs dream drug, and the way that the Biden administration set things up, they can still get their hands on the deadly drugs,” Hamrick said.

She called on the administration to “to enforce the Comstock Act,” which prevents the shipping of any materials used for abortive purposes and to stop shield laws that “shield criminals” who ship abortion pills into states where they are illegal.

Hamrick urged local leaders to “let women know that coercion is a crime and to encourage them to seek help if they feel unsafe.”

Live Action Spokesman Noah Brandt said that these cases of coercion show “the brutal reality of the abortion pill.”

“These tragedies are the predictable result of turning abortion into a no-oversight, mail-order business,” he told EWTN News.

Brandt drew attention to the loss of life from chemical abortion.

“Sixty-five percent of abortions in America are chemical abortions, which have already ended the lives of an estimated 7.5 million preborn children,” Brandt said.

He urged the administration to “act with urgency and pull the abortion pill from the market completely.”

“Mifepristone should not be safeguarded or repackaged,” he said. “A civilized society does not mail poison to mothers or their abusers so their children can die alone at home.”

But aside from political action, the 3,000 pregnancy centers across the United States support women in crisis situations.

Trudden said that “pregnancy help organizations are uniquely equipped to support women who are facing pressure to have an abortion or who fear they may have been given abortion drugs without their consent.”

“Trained staff can help assess whether a woman feels safe in her home or relationship and connect her with resources if she is experiencing coercion, abuse, or threats to her safety,” Trudden said.

Pregnancy centers can even help women, in some cases, to reverse the effects of the first abortion pill, mifepristone, with the hormone progesterone, which supports pregnancy.

“If a woman believes she has taken abortion drugs and wishes to continue her pregnancy, pregnancy help organizations can connect her with the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which will connect her with a healthcare provider experienced in abortion pill reversal protocols to try and save the pregnancy,” Trudden continued.

“The abortion pill regime does not empower women. It endangers them and equips predators,” Brandt said.