Latest news with #MaydayHealth
Axios
27-05-2025
- Health
- Axios
Abortion pill loophole advertised during Indy 500
If you were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway over the weekend, you may have noticed planes flying overhead advertising everything from Mountain Dew to abortion pills. Why it matters: Indiana was the first state in the nation to ban nearly all abortions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The big picture: Abortion is banned statewide except in limited cases to save the life or prevent serious risk to the health of the pregnant person, if there is a lethal fetal anomaly or within the first 10 weeks postfertilization of a pregnancy that is the result of rape or incest. Driving the news: From Carb Day through race day, abortion education nonprofit Mayday Health hired a plane to fly over Speedway with a banner advertising "abortion pills by mail." What they're saying: "What we want to communicate is, no matter where you live, you still have options," Liv Raisner, Mayday's founder and executive director, told Axios. "We knew that 350,000 people were going to be around that racetrack on race day. What a great way to reach a high volume of people in a state where abortion is banned." Between the lines: Indiana law says that telehealth may not be used for abortion, but federal regulation allows for abortion medication to be dispensed by pharmacies through the mail, and there are online providers who ship to all 50 states. Mayday, which works in the education space only and doesn't prescribe or distribute the pills, explains that the prescribers are often working in states with shield laws that offer protection for practitioners in abortion-friendly states. State of play: Americans have been using this workaround since the fall of Roe. A survey released last year reported that 8,000 women a month, living in states that severely restrict abortion or access to such services through telehealth, were having abortion pills mailed to them by the end of 2023. How it works: A medical abortion typically works by taking a combination of two medications in pill form — mifepristone and misoprostol. This can be done safely up to the first 10 weeks of pregnancy, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The fine print: While performing an abortion outside of the state's limited exceptions is a crime in Indiana, self-managed abortion is not. The state's abortion law does not include legal penalties for a person choosing to have an abortion. By the numbers: There were 142 abortions performed in hospitals statewide last year, according to the Indiana Department of Health — that's a 98% decrease from 2022, the last full year before the state ban went into effect.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Indy 500 spectators see campaign promoting abortion pill
A banner adversing abortion pills flew over Indianapolis 500 events over the weekend. (Courtesy Mayday Health) A plane towing a banner that read 'Abortion pills by mail' flew over the heads of hundreds of thousands of racegoers at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Memorial Day weekend. Mayday Health, an abortion education nonprofit, flew the aerial campaign on Friday's Carb Day, over the Saturday parade and during the race on Sunday. The three-day blitz aimed to inform Hoosiers that despite Indiana's near-total abortion ban, FDA-approved abortion pills remain accessible by mail nationwide. 'Mayday spreads a simple message with many people – abortion pills are available by mail in all 50 states,' Mayday Health Founder and Executive Director Liv Raisner said. Mayday worked with All-Options, a Bloomington-based reproductive organization, to fly the banner and to support their Hoosier Abortion Fund. Indiana's near-total abortion ban that took effect in August 2023 outlaws abortion except in cases of fatal fetal anomalies and serious health risks to the mother. Victims of rape or incest are also allowed to access abortion care up to 10 weeks post-fertilization. The law mandates that hospitals perform all abortions. While performing an illegal abortion is a felony for doctors in Indiana, women seeking abortions face no criminal penalties. Raisner said Mayday does not ship the abortion pills but lists providers and connects people with several different resources depending on their needs. From there, individuals who seek help can consult with a physician who can send the pill through the mail. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Indy 500 had no affiliation with the banner. Under FAA regulations, the agency does not regulate messaging on advertisement banners towed by aircraft. Raisner said the only restriction they had was to stop flying the banner when the cars started their engines shortly after noon. Some posting on social media didn't approve of the message. One poster on X said 'Somebody explain to me why there is a plane waving a banner reading 'Abortion pills by mail' that is hovering over my head above the infield at the Indy 500 of all places.' Other posters called it 'disgusting' and 'ridiculous.' But another X post said, 'The Indy 500 was surprising pretty progressive. Trump was persona non grata, a non American sang God Bless America and there was an abortion pills by mail banner flying over the track!' Trump was invited to come to the race but declined with no explanation. This is not the first abortion campaign to fly over the Indy 500. In 2019, All-Options flew a banner that read 'Abortion is OK!' over the Indy 500. Raisner said the organization takes a 'bold-guerilla' approach with their campaigns. Since 2022, Mayday has driven digital billboard trucks to Taylor Swift concerts, sent flyers to rape crisis centers in Tennessee, flown airplanes, driven boats and hosted an abortion pop-up store. Raisner said Mayday will return to Indy 500 next year and maybe sooner for a future campaign. 'We want to spread the message because there is so much misinformation about abortion pills' they said. 'Most people in restricted abortion states don't even know what the laws are for abortion.' Indiana's first full year under the ban shows a total of 146 abortions were performed in Indiana, a 96% decrease from 2022. More than half were performed by using an abortion pill or intracardiac injections. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously decided to preserve access to medication, Mifepristone, one of the two drugs used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Abortion education group to advertise 'abortion pills by mail' at Indy 500
An abortion education group is highlighting a loophole in Indiana's near-total abortion ban, and its using the Indianapolis 500 to do it. Mayday Health arranged for a plane to fly over Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 23, May 24 and during the Indy 500 on May 25 carrying a banner with the message 'Abortion pills by mail," emphasizing that Hoosiers can still get abortion pills by mail. The group's effort in Indiana over Memorial Day Weekend is purposeful. More than 300,000 people will attend the Indy 500 on May 25 and events are scheduled at IMS throughout the weekend. Indiana is also among states with bans on abortion. State lawmakers passed a near-total abortion ban in 2022. 'That's an incredibly restrictive ban, and a lot of people in Indiana, if they're pregnant, they might think they're out of options,' said Liv Raisner, the founder and executive director of Mayday Health. 'But the reality is that folks in Indiana, just like anyone in the country, can take advantage of the fact that pills are available through the mail. That has not changed.' It's not the first campaign Mayday Health has organized in a state with abortion restrictions. Earlier this year the group drove a digital billboard truck and launched a poster campaign in Tennessee, where abortion is illegal. Indiana's abortion law, which went into effect in 2023, prohibits doctors from providing abortions except in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies or if the pregnant person's life at risk. State law says medication abortions must be conducted in-person, not through telehealth, but federal regulations do allow abortion-inducing drugs to be accessed through telehealth services and mailed to patients from out-of-state. Less than 150 abortions were performed in Indiana in 2024, according to recent data from the state Department of Health. Just 36 of those procedures were performed using abortion drugs misoprostol and/or mifepristone, according to the DOH. During Indiana's 2025 legislative session, Republican lawmakers filed multiple bills targeting abortion pills. All of the proposals died during the session. Abortion in Indiana: Indiana already banned abortions. Now, state lawmakers are eyeing abortion pills. But the federal Food and Drug Administration, which approved the use of abortion drug mifepristone more than 20 years ago, continues to say the drug is safe if used as directed. Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court preserved access to mifepristone. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. IndyStar reporter Kayla Dwyer contributed to this story. Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, curated by IndyStar politics and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Abortion education group to advertise abortion pills at Indy 500
Indianapolis Star
23-05-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Abortion education group to advertise 'abortion pills by mail' at Indy 500
An abortion education group is highlighting a loophole in Indiana's near-total abortion ban, and its using the Indianapolis 500 to do it. Mayday Health arranged for a plane to fly over Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 23, May 24 and during the Indy 500 on May 25 carrying a banner with the message 'Abortion pills by mail," emphasizing that Hoosiers can still get abortion pills by mail. The group's effort in Indiana over Memorial Day Weekend is purposeful. More than 300,000 people will attend the Indy 500 on May 25 and events are scheduled at IMS throughout the weekend. Indiana is also among states with bans on abortion. State lawmakers passed a near-total abortion ban in 2022. 'That's an incredibly restrictive ban, and a lot of people in Indiana, if they're pregnant, they might think they're out of options,' said Liv Raisner, the founder and executive director of Mayday Health. 'But the reality is that folks in Indiana, just like anyone in the country, can take advantage of the fact that pills are available through the mail. That has not changed.' It's not the first campaign Mayday Health has organized in a state with abortion restrictions. Earlier this year the group drove a digital billboard truck and launched a poster campaign in Tennessee, where abortion is illegal. Indiana's abortion law, which went into effect in 2023, prohibits doctors from providing abortions except in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies or if the pregnant person's life at risk. State law says medication abortions must be conducted in-person, not through telehealth, but federal regulations do allow abortion-inducing drugs to be accessed through telehealth services and mailed to patients from out-of-state. Less than 150 abortions were performed in Indiana in 2024, according to recent data from the state Department of Health. Just 36 of those procedures were performed using abortion drugs misoprostol and/or mifepristone, according to the DOH. During Indiana's 2025 legislative session, Republican lawmakers filed multiple bills targeting abortion pills. All of the proposals died during the session. Abortion in Indiana: Indiana already banned abortions. Now, state lawmakers are eyeing abortion pills. But the federal Food and Drug Administration, which approved the use of abortion drug mifepristone more than 20 years ago, continues to say the drug is safe if used as directed. Last summer, the U.S. Supreme Court preserved access to mifepristone. Contact IndyStar state government and politics reporter Brittany Carloni at Follow her on Twitter/X @CarloniBrittany. IndyStar reporter Kayla Dwyer contributed to this story.
