Students for Life leaders sued in Texas over undercover abortion pill probe

The defendants argue the lawsuit is frivolous and the plaintiff lacks standing.

Students for Life of America President Kristan Hawkins and three staff members are facing a civil lawsuit in Texas after conducting an undercover investigation that documented the continued illegal mailing of abortion-inducing drugs into the state.

The case, filed by pseudonymous plaintiff Maria Puerto, alleges that Hawkins, along with Lydia Taylor Davis, Jamie Curry, and Megan Roos, violated the Texas Woman and Child Protection Act by ordering the pills during a March investigation in Houston.

Puerto seeks $459,782 in damages and an injunction against Students for Life.

Thomas More Society attorneys, working with co-counsel Texas State Rep. Briscoe Cain, have filed a formal response on behalf of the four women. They deny any violation of the law and are asking the court to dismiss the case, arguing that the plaintiff lacks standing and that the defendants’ actions fall outside the statute’s reach.

The Texas Woman and Child Protection Act, enacted in 2025, allows private citizens to bring lawsuits against those who distribute, mail, or otherwise provide abortion-inducing drugs in Texas. The measure was designed to address shipments from out-of-state providers operating under shield laws in other jurisdictions.

The defendants contend that their investigation was a form of protected speech and reporting. They say that none of the women involved in the investigation were pregnant or seeking an abortion and that the law itself exempts activity conducted for purposes other than performing or assisting an abortion.

They also point out that the plaintiff’s own petition describes the effort as a “publicity stunt” and fails to identify any specific prohibited act by the defendants. They also argue that the amount in damages sought is not authorized by the law and that Students for Life is not a party to the case, rendering the requested injunction improper.

Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation at the Thomas More Society, said the suit appears aimed at discouraging scrutiny of abortion pill distribution.

“Kristan Hawkins and her colleagues gathered evidence of an illegal trade and shared it with the public, investigative reporting the First Amendment protects,” he said. “This case is a patently meritless attempt to silence and cover up the truth that out-of-state interests are flooding Texas with abortion pills—we will vigorously defend Kristan and her colleagues until this case is thrown out of court.”

Hawkins described the lawsuit as an effort to target those pointing out violations of the law rather than those committing them.

“Attempting to punish the Students for Life team for noticing the obvious — abortion pills can be illegally trafficked — is like going after the person reporting a fire instead of the arsonist. Laws are being broken, and babies are dying, while the sovereignty of Texas law is violated. We are ready to defend ourselves.”

Last week, newly elected Texas Attorney General Nathan Johnson said he would end current lawsuits against abortion providers in other states for illegally mailing abortion pills into Texas.

Hawkins and the other defendants have indicated they will seek sanctions against the plaintiff’s attorneys, calling the lawsuit frivolous and intended to harass. No hearing date has been set.