In the years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, the battleground over abortion has shifted to the states, and the tactics used by abortion advocates have shifted alongside it. With states regaining the right to outlaw brick-and-mortar abortion clinics within their borders, the front lines of the fight for the unborn have moved to an unlikely venue: gas stations.
In January 2026, Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman opened an investigation into gas stations displaying advertisements for Mayday Health, a New York-based nonprofit group that promotes “abortion pills by mail.” His office issued subpoenas to six gas stations in Kentucky’s Christian, Logan, and Simpson counties after they displayed ads directing customers to Mayday’s website.
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Coleman’s investigation reveals a dark, multistate network used by abortion advocates to prey on vulnerable women in rural communities. Mayday Health has reportedly funded similar advertising campaigns at more than 100 gas stations across Kentucky, West Virginia, and other states.
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The chilling slogan on these ads reads: “Pregnant? Don’t want to be?” along with a link to the organization’s website.
Coleman has been unequivocal about his stance, stating, “Out-of-state activist groups who are targeting the vulnerable here should be on notice: Keep your illegal pills out of our Commonwealth or face the full weight of the attorney general’s office.” He further emphasized that his office will pursue leads to stop these pills from “flooding into Kentucky through the mail.”
Coleman is not only standing up for the rights of the unborn, but he is also protecting women in his state. There are real risks to taking these pills without medical supervision. However, groups such as Mayday Health seem more concerned with proliferating abortion drugs at all costs.
While I applaud Coleman’s leadership on ethical grounds, his actions are firmly rooted in enforcing the rule of law. Following the Dobbs decision, Kentucky lawmakers enacted House Bill 3. This sweeping 2022 statute explicitly prohibits abortion-inducing drugs from being provided “by courier, delivery, or mail service.” It requires that such drugs only be provided by a “qualified physician” under specific in-person procedures.
Through this investigation, Coleman is strongly defending Kentucky’s right to decide the laws within its borders. Furthermore, he is invoking state consumer-protection statutes and investigating whether these advertisements are misleading or deceptive by encouraging Kentuckians to circumvent established state health restrictions.
If Coleman succeeds in ridding the Bluegrass State of these despicable ads, he will be sending a clear message: out-of-state activists cannot subvert the democratic will of Kentucky voters.
Kentucky is quickly becoming a national test case for how anti-abortion states can respond to the proliferation of mail-order abortion networks. By targeting the advertising infrastructure and using consumer protection laws, Coleman is demonstrating that states are not powerless to enforce their statutes against out-of-state entities.
I’m grateful to Coleman for his fearless defense of Kentucky’s sovereignty and the rights of the unborn. I hope it will inspire more state attorneys general to join the fight and ensure that anti-abortion laws are not only passed but enforced.
Ken Blackwell is a former mayor of Cincinnati and a past Ohio state treasurer and secretary of state. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Ohio in 2006, becoming the first African American major-party candidate for that office. Blackwell is a senior fellow at the Family Research Council, vice chairman of the Council for National Policy’s executive committee, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
