A weekslong abortion pill advertising campaign at more than 80 Kentucky gas stations is wrapping up this weekend, and the state’s pregnancy resource centers that serve women and their families located in those communities are expressing concern.
The ads, placed by Mayday Health on gas pumps in locations like Paducah, Owensboro, Manchester and Lawrenceburg, say: “Pregnant? Don’t want to be? Learn more at Mayday.Health.”
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Disappointment, frustration, sadness
Laurel County Life Center in London used to see women seeking information on abortion before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Olivia Taylor, executive director of the center, said the Internet, more than gas station ads, has impacted her community.
“It’s so easy to just Google where to get an abortion and if they’re really set on that, they don’t even have to come through us because they can find that information on their own,” Taylor said.
Melanie Manley, executive director at Life Choice Pregnancy Center in Russellville, thinks the ads will be impactful because the gas stations in her rural area are busy.
“People think since Roe v. Wade fell and abortion is illegal in Kentucky that abortions aren’t happening, when actually for pregnancy centers, the fight is harder than it was before Roe v. Wade…because when Planned Parenthood had an office in Louisville that was actively doing abortions, people understood they had to give money to combat that. But when you see that the abortion pill is ‘illegal’ in Kentucky and there are no abortions being performed, the general public thinks the battle’s been won when it’s only gotten worse…You can mail-order a six-pack in 10 minutes.”
‘Very dangerous’
Easy accessibility to abortion pills is what Mayday Health aims to highlight.
“We’ve heard from individuals who didn’t even know abortion pills existed until they found us. Mayday Health is here to fill that gap and ensure people can access evidence-based information safely, anonymously and without judgment,” said Liv Raisner, who founded Mayday Health to share information about abortion-inducing drugs in 2022 after the Supreme Court dismantled a federal right to elective abortion.
Mayday Health does not provide abortion pills, but links to several prescribing organizations. All five will mail mifepristone and misoprostol— the two-drug regimen used to terminate a pregnancy — without confirming the requestor is pregnant and early enough in the pregnancy to safely take the drugs.
When stored properly, mifepristone has a shelf life of about five years; misoprostol can last around two years.
“I think it’s very dangerous, first of all, to just hand out pills like that without being under a doctor’s care. That is just negligent,” said Rebecca Clere, director of client services at Two Hearts Pregnancy Center in Ashland.
“It’s alarming,” said Carla Estes, executive director of Crossroads Life Center in Glasgow. “It’s very frustrating that [the ads] can be run here in the state of Kentucky with us being a no abortion state.”
Attorney General Russell Coleman hasn’t weighed in on the legality of Mayday Health’s ad campaign.
“Our Office is aware of these advertisements, and we are reviewing the matter,” said a spokesman for Coleman’s office.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Tessa Redmond and originally published by Kentucky Today.
