WASHINGTON — The Ohio Senate Health Committee today heard testimony on Senate Bill 309, the Abortion Pill Provider Liability Education (APPLE) Act, legislation designed to ensure women receive truthful information and clear notice of their legal rights before being prescribed abortion-inducing drugs.

SB 309 is Ohio’s version of National Right to Life’s model law, the Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education Act, and focuses on informed consent, transparency, and accountability in the growing chemical abortion marketplace.

In written testimony submitted to the committee, Ingrid Duran, director of the Department of State Legislation for National Right to Life (NRLC), explained that the APPLE Act responds to the “rapid rise of mail-order and telemedicine abortion pills” that increasingly bypass traditional medical safeguards.

She noted that the bill simply requires abortion providers to inform women that, should they suffer injury or death, they or their families may hold the manufacturer, distributor, health care provider, or facility accountable.

“The APPLE Act places no burdens on women seeking abortion,” Duran wrote. “It doesn’t ban abortion-inducing drugs or make them harder to obtain. Instead, it empowers women with truthful information and ensures they know their rights if something goes wrong.”

Randall K. O’Bannon, Ph.D., director of Education and Research for the National Right to Life Educational Trust Fund, also submitted written testimony detailing documented complications associated with mifepristone, the abortion pill.

Citing FDA reports and independent studies, Dr. O’Bannon testified that complications can occur in more than 10% of women who take the drugs, noting that women have experienced hemorrhage, infection, ruptured ectopic pregnancies, emergency room visits, and other serious complications.

“The APPLE Act doesn’t stop anyone from getting an abortion,” Dr. O’Bannon wrote. “But it does require that abortionists give them a complete and honest representation of the risks.” 

Dr. O’Bannon also noted that the bill, “simply asks whether you care more about the lives and health and safety of women and their unborn children or are more concerned with seeking the favor and fortune of the abortion industry.” 

In-person testimony underscored the real-life impact of chemical abortion complications.

Katie DeLand of Ohio Right to Life testified that deregulation of chemical abortion has coincided with increased use and documented adverse events, including severe bleeding, infection, undiagnosed ectopic pregnancies, and incomplete abortions requiring emergency care.

She emphasized that “women deserve full transparency about medical risks, particularly when those risks can be severe, permanent, or life-threatening.” 

Savannah Martin, testifying on behalf of Bella Vita Network and the Ohio Coalition of Pregnancy Centers, shared the story of a woman identified as “Rebecca,” who suffered life-threatening complications after being prescribed abortion pills beyond the legal gestational limit.

According to the testimony, Rebecca lost consciousness, required CPR, and was transported to a hospital where she underwent an emergency dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure.

Martin urged lawmakers to ensure women understand potential risks and know how to hold providers accountable if harm occurs.

Supporters of SB 309 argue that, regardless of one’s position on abortion, informed consent and consumer protection are principles that should apply to abortion-inducing drugs just as they do to any other medical product.

The Senate Health Committee took testimony but has not yet voted on the measure.

For copies of testimony or more information about National Right to Life’s model law, the Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education Act, visit NRLC.org or contact the NRLC Communications Department at mediarelations@nrlc.org.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

Report Details Rise of Chemical Abortions, State Actions, and New Efforts to Protect Women and Unborn Children

WASHINGTON — A newly published national report documents shifts in America’s abortion landscape, highlighting the expansion of chemical abortions, shield laws that protect abortionists and not women, and renewed efforts to protect women and unborn children following the fall of Roe v. Wade.

The Status of Abortion in the United States 2026, released by National Right to Life, offers a comprehensive overview of abortion policy, statistics, and legal developments at the federal and state levels.

Among its findings:

• Chemical abortions now account for nearly two-thirds of all U.S. abortions, driven largely by mail-order pills shipped into every state, often in violation of local safeguards.
• Half of the states have moved to enshrine abortion in law or state constitutions, while 19 states currently enforce protections for unborn children at or before 12 weeks of pregnancy.
• New research shows abortion pills are associated with far higher complication rates than previously acknowledged, prompting a renewed federal review of mifepristone.
• The Hyde Amendment marks its 50th anniversary and it is estimated to have saved more than 2.6 million lives by preventing taxpayer funding of abortion.

The report also introduces National Right to Life’s APPLE Act (Abortion Pill Provider Liability and Education Act), model legislation designed to hold abortion-pill providers accountable and give women legal recourse when harmed.

“This report makes clear that while Roe is gone, the abortion industry has simply shifted tactics—relying heavily on dangerous mail-order pills and legal loopholes to avoid accountability,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “At the same time, we’re seeing encouraging momentum in states working to protect both women and their unborn children. The APPLE Act is one important step toward restoring transparency and responsibility in an industry that has operated for too long without either.”

The 2026 edition also reviews recent federal actions affecting abortion policy, including enforcement of Hyde protections, renewed limits on international abortion funding, and pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration scrutiny of chemical abortion drugs.

“This is a moment of stark contrast in America,” Tobias added. “Some states are racing to entrench abortion at any cost, while others are advancing compassionate policies that recognize the humanity of unborn children and provide real support to mothers. Our goal is to help lawmakers and the public understand what’s happening—and why it matters.”

The Status of Abortion in the United States 2026 is National Right to Life’s 13th annual report and is available on the website here.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — National Right to Life strongly condemned Kathy Hochul’s signing of New York’s assisted suicide legislation, warning that the law abandons suicide prevention, endangers people with disabilities, and embeds systemic discrimination into state policy.

“Assisted suicide is suicide, no matter how its advocates try to rebrand it,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “New York has chosen to redefine suicide as a medical treatment, sending a chilling message to people who are sick, disabled, or struggling that their lives are less worth protecting.” 

Proponents claim assisted suicide is restricted to those near death and in unbearable pain. In reality, so-called “terminal” prognoses are frequently wrong, and eligibility standards are elastic. In states like Oregon, pain is not among the top reasons people seek assisted suicide. Instead, the leading motivations are fear of dependency, loss of autonomy, and not wanting to live with limitations — precisely the experiences shared by millions of people with disabilities.

Presenting assisted suicide as an option distracts from the urgent need to expand access to hospice, palliative care, mental-health services, and family supports — services that affirm life and dignity even in the face of serious illness.

“True compassion does not offer a lethal prescription in place of care,” Tobias stated. “New Yorkers deserve better pain management, better emotional support, and better end-of-life care — not a shortcut to death.” 

Despite years of controversy and opposition from disability advocates, medical professionals, and suicide-prevention experts, the legislation moved forward without a recent full public hearing, even as its consequences are irreversible.

Oregon became the first state, in 1994, to legalize assisted suicide. Since then, twelve states (12) and Washington D.C. have passed similar laws.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) today responded to news that Planned Parenthood has withdrawn its lawsuit challenging the provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill that barred Medicaid funding for abortion providers for one year.

This development marks a clear recognition that Planned Parenthood’s legal challenge lacked merit and that the federal government acted within its authority to ensure that taxpayer funds do not subsidize abortion. The lawsuit was initially filed in July 2025, three days after the bill was signed by President Trump. Last Friday, Planned Parenthood “voluntarily” dismissed its lawsuit following a series of rulings by Obama and Biden judicial appointees that slapped down injunctions blocking the provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill which defunds major abortion providers.

NRLC has long maintained that federal funding of health care should not subsidize abortion or subsidize abortion providers. This decision reinforces the principle that public funds should be directed toward genuine health care services that respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death.  

“Planned Parenthood’s decision to withdraw this lawsuit underscores the strength of the legal and moral case for ending federal Medicaid funding of abortion providers,” said Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee. “Taxpayer dollars should not be used to support organizations whose core mission includes ending innocent human life.” 

Tobias continued, “National Right to Life remains committed to advocating for policies that respect the value of every human life and ensure that no federal funds — direct or indirect — go to subsidize abortion providers.”  

Background:
• The challenged statute, adopted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill signed into law July 4, 2025, prohibits the use of Medicaid funds for reimbursements to providers whose principal activities include elective abortion.
• The First Circuit Court of Appeals allowed enforcement of the statute to continue while litigation proceeded, a ruling that significantly undercut the basis for Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit.
• The appeal court’s December 30 decision affirmed the government’s right to implement funding priorities consistent with the will of Congress and longstanding federal policy limiting abortion funding.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.

WASHINGTON — A federal district court in Washington, D.C. has granted a motion to quash subpoenas issued to the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) in Matsumoto et al. v. Labrador, reaffirming strong First Amendment protections for national advocacy organizations.

The court’s decision shields NRLC from producing internal communications and advocacy materials sought by plaintiffs challenging Idaho House Bills 242 and 98—legislation addressing abortion trafficking of a minor enacted by the Idaho Legislature. The subpoenas were served in September 2025 and demanded broad categories of documents dating back several years.

“Today’s ruling is an important affirmation of the First Amendment rights of national advocacy organizations,” said Carol Tobias, president of National Right to Life. “The court correctly recognized that NRLC cannot be compelled to turn over internal strategy and communications simply because its policy advocacy is opposed by litigants challenging a duly enacted law.”

In granting NRLC’s motion to quash, the court confirmed several core principles of constitutional law:

• First Amendment Protection — Compelled disclosure of NRLC’s internal advocacy communications would impermissibly chill freedom of association and expression.
• Lack of Relevance — A private advocacy organization’s internal understanding or interpretation of legislation is not relevant to a court’s analysis of the law’s constitutionality.
• Limits on Non-Party Discovery — Broad, open-ended discovery demands directed at non-parties exceed permissible bounds, particularly when they target protected political activity.

“The court reaffirmed that discovery cannot be used as a tool to pry into the internal workings of national advocacy organizations,” said James Bopp, Jr., general counsel for National Right to Life, who represented both NRLC and Idaho Right to Life in challenging the subpoenas. “This ruling sends a clear signal that the First Amendment provides real protection against litigation tactics designed to burden or intimidate those engaged in lawful public policy advocacy.”

The court’s order granting NRLC’s motion to quash protects the organization from further discovery demands in the case and reinforces constitutional limits on compelling disclosure from non-party advocacy groups.

Founded in 1968, the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the federation of affiliates in each of the 50 states, is the nation’s oldest and largest grassroots pro-life organization. National Right to Life works through legislation and education to protect innocent human life from abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, and euthanasia.