After State Fair Flyover, Kentucky Files Lawsuit Against Abortion Pill Advocacy Group

Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman sued an organization that promotes mail-order abortion-inducing drugs to women in states where it’s restricted.

Coleman announced the litigation Thursday against Mayday Health, a New York-based activist organization, stating the organization broke state law by advertising illegal mail-order abortion pills.

Last weekend, Mayday Health chartered an airplane that flew over the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville with a banner saying, “Abortion Pills By Mail,” and posted ads at gas stations in Western Kentucky that said, “Pregnant? Don’t want to be? Learn more at Mayday Health.”

Mayday Health advertised the drugs at gas stations and with a banner attached to an airplane over the Kentucky State Fair.

“These out of state activists are not only breaking Kentucky law, they seem to delight in rubbing our faces in it,” Coleman, a Republican, said in a public statement. “The State Fair is a beloved Kentucky tradition for families and children to celebrate our Commonwealth. We refuse to allow Mayday to taint our values and put our people at risk.”

In 2022, the Kentucky state legislature prohibited the mailing or delivery of abortion-inducing drugs in Kentucky.

Further, the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act prohibits deceptive or misleading communications with Kentuckians.

“We look forward to defending our First Amendment protected work in court and winning, like we have against similar efforts to suppress our speech,” Mayday co-founder Leo Raisner told The Daily Wire. “Abortion pills are safe, effective and FDA-approved, and everyone deserves access to that information.”

Raisner formerly worked as a content director for President Joe Biden’s Office of Digital Strategy.

Mayday Health directs women to outside providers of the pills through telehealth appointments and mail-forwarding services, but doesn’t distribute the pills itself. 

The state’s lawsuit was filed in Logan Circuit Court and details Mayday Health’s violations of Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act.

The complaint asks the court to order Mayday Health to permanently stop its illegal advertisements and to pay penalties.

Coleman announced a civil investigation into Mayday Health’s advertisements at Western Kentucky gas stations in several counties, including Logan County, where the lawsuit was filed.