17. Department of Justice · Major
Enforce 18 U.S.C. 1461-1462 against mailed abortion pills
Printed page 562 17. Department of Justice
“Announcing a Campaign to Enforce the Criminal Prohibitions in 18 U.S. Code §§ 1461 and 1462 Against Providers and Distributors of Abortion Pills That Use the Mail. … The Department of Justice in the next conservative Administration should therefore announce its intent to enforce federal law against providers and distributors of such pills.”
What has happened
- Not started
No DOJ announcement of intent to enforce 18 U.S.C. 1461-1462 against abortion-pill providers or distributors was found; the Biden-era OLC opinion reading the statute narrowly is still posted on justice.gov and has not been withdrawn or replaced on any allowlisted source.
No action found yet. This entry is the starting point, not a finding.
Research log
What was searched, and what didn’t count as evidence
Research notes
- The Office of Legal Counsel’s 2022-12-23 opinion “Application of the Comstock Act to the Mailing of Prescription Drugs That Can Be Used for Abortions” (https://www.justice.gov/olc/opinion/application-comstock-act-mailing-prescription-drugs-can-be-used-abortions) was loaded 2026-08-26 and remains posted without a withdrawal notice. Its continued presence is consistent with non-enforcement but is not an event.
- Secondary reporting (Daily Caller 2026-03-13, Washington Examiner, LifeNews 2026-03-30 — all off the allowlist) says DOJ has not rescinded the OLC opinion and that Students for Life wrote to the Attorney General in March 2026 urging enforcement; leads only.
- State prosecutions of a New York provider for mailing pills (Louisiana, Texas) are state actions under state law, not the federal 1461/1462 campaign the Mandate asks for.
- Action
- restore
- Object
- 18 U.S. Code §§ 1461 and 1462 (mailing of abortion drugs)
- ID
- 1564