Arkansas Attorney General Joins Legal Actions Against Pro-Abortion States and Abortionists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Little Rock, Ark. – On Wednesday, state attorneys general for Arkansas, Louisiana, and Alabama announced an original action against the States of New York, California, and Massachusetts before the U.S. Supreme Court as well as a federal lawsuit against individuals and companies allegedly involved in distributing abortion pills nationwide. The original action asks the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down pro-abortion “shield laws” that prevent authorities in pro-life states from prosecuting abortionists in other states who send abortion drugs through the mail.
In a statement, Family Council President Jerry Cox said, “This is good news. Abortion is generally prohibited in Arkansas except to save the life of the mother, and it is against the law to send abortion drugs through the mail. But abortionists in other states are breaking the law by mailing these drugs to women in states like Arkansas. States like New York and California passed ‘shield laws’ that protect these abortionists. Arkansas needs to be able to enforce its pro-life laws, and we hope the U.S. Supreme Court will let Arkansas do exactly that.”
Cox said there is no doubt that abortion drugs are dangerous. “Last year the experts at the Ethics and Public Policy Center released the largest study ever conducted on abortion drugs. They found that abortion drugs are at least 22 times more dangerous than the drugs’ labeling indicates. Nearly 11% of women who take these drugs experience serious health complications like sepsis, infection, and life-threatening hemorrhage. Abortion drugs hurt women and kill unborn children. They should not be available at all, much less through the mail without a doctor.”
Cox said recent criminal cases also show what happens when abortionists sell abortion pills through the mail. “We’ve seen cases in Louisiana and other states where abortion drugs were ordered online and then either given to women secretly without their knowledge or consent or where women were coerced into taking the abortion drugs. Last year, the Arkansas Legislature passed Act 485 clarifying that it is a crime to secretly give a pregnant woman abortion-inducing drugs without her knowledge or consent. When abortionists send these drugs through the mail, they put women at risk and they break good state laws that are designed to protect women. We hope our federal courts will put a stop to this dangerous industry of mail-order abortion.”
Cox praised Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin for his leadership on this issue. “Attorney General Griffin has sent cease-and-desist letters to abortionists in other states who mail abortion drugs into Arkansas. His office has told abortionists again and again that they are breaking the law and that his office will take action if they do not stop. Now he is following through by suing these abortionists and the states that are protecting them. Arkansans are deeply pro-life, and our elected leaders reflect that. We appreciate Attorney General Tim Griffin’s willingness to stand for life in federal court.”
###
