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.