FIRST ON FOX: A Republican senator says that a left-wing abortion group claiming to be a "public health information campaign" is actually operating as the referral hub for shipping abortion pills into states where they're banned, in a criminal referral obtained by Fox News Digital.
In a letter sent Thursday to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Sen. Josh Hawley alleges asked the Justice Department to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, saying the group connects women with abortion-pill manufacturers, foreign clinics and online vendors that ship the drugs into states where they are restricted by law.
"At the center of the effort is an entity called Plan C," Hawley wrote, describing the group as a "left-wing dark-money operation" that serves as the "referral and logistics hub" for distributing abortion drugs into states that prohibit them. He said the group's activities warrant a federal criminal investigation.
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Hawley says Plan C directs women in states such as Florida, Oklahoma and Texas to foreign clinics willing to mail abortion pills into the United States despite state laws restricting those shipments. He also says the group points users to online vendors selling abortion drugs without prescriptions, identification or medical consultations, even though Plan C acknowledges on its website that the pills sold through some of those sites are "not regulated or inspected by the US government."
Fox News Digital reached out to Plan C for comment.
Hawley's letter also says Plan C advises users on how to limit their "digital footprint" by recommending privacy-focused browsers, virtual private networks and encrypted email.
The senator notes that Plan C's own website warns users they could face legal consequences for obtaining abortion pills through the services it recommends, while saying it is "up to every individual to decide what level of legal risk they are willing to take."
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Hawley also says Plan C directs women to providers willing to prescribe abortion pills through 14 weeks of pregnancy - beyond the Food and Drug Administration's approved labeling for mifepristone and beyond the limits set by several states.
Hawley argues the conduct could violate multiple federal laws, including provisions of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act covering prescription drugs, laws prohibiting the importation of unapproved drugs into interstate commerce, and federal conspiracy and aiding-and-abetting statutes.
"I therefore respectfully refer this matter to the Department to open a criminal investigation into Plan C, its relationship with potential co-conspirator manufacturers, and the network of suppliers it promotes," Hawley wrote, adding that the investigation should include foreign clinics and online vendors shipping abortion drugs into the United States.
