Staff Reports
Senator Bernie Moreno has done what too many in Washington won’t: he called out a shocking gap in justice and the policy that helped create it. This week Moreno asked Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to open a federal review of the prosecution and light sentencing of an Ohio doctor who allegedly forced abortion pills on his pregnant girlfriend. He also urged a rollback of the Biden-era FDA rule that let those pills be prescribed by telehealth and mailed into homes. That’s the real story — not just one criminal case, but the rules that made it easier for a predator to act.
Sen. Moreno demands a DOJ review of the Ohio case
Moreno’s letter to the Department of Justice is straightforward. He wants federal prosecutors to look at the handling of Hassan‑James Abbas — the surgical resident accused of holding down his girlfriend and forcing crushed abortion medication into her mouth. State prosecutors say Abbas pleaded no contest to several felony counts and was sentenced to six months in jail and two years’ probation. Moreno calls that sentence inadequate and is asking the DOJ to consider federal charges and a deeper look at how the case was prosecuted.
How the FDA REMS change enabled mail‑order mifepristone
The backstory matters because Moreno tied this crime to a 2023 FDA change to the mifepristone REMS. That change removed the old rule requiring in‑person dispensing at a clinic and allowed certified prescribers and pharmacies to mail the drug after telehealth visits. Moreno argues that mail-order access made it easier for Abbas to obtain the pills using someone else’s identity. The legal fight over that REMS move is already playing out in the courts in Louisiana v. FDA, and Moreno wants the DOJ to press for restoring in‑person safeguards.
Why federal intervention could — and should — happen
There are real questions about federal jurisdiction and which statutes might apply. Federal laws governing mail, identity fraud, and distribution of drugs across state lines could be paths for DOJ action. But Moreno’s request is more than legal maneuvering. It’s a political wake‑up call: when dangerous drugs can be shipped without in‑person checks, and when violent coercion is met with a six‑month sentence, the system is sending the wrong message. If DOJ wants to show it takes coercive misuse of abortion drugs seriously, now is the moment to act.
We should be clear-eyed about the stakes. This is about protecting vulnerable women, preserving accountability for violent criminals, and rethinking policies that remove commonsense safeguards. Senator Moreno’s letter presses three simple things: review the sentence, consider federal charges, and push to reverse the REMS change that permits unchecked mail-order abortion pills. If the Biden-era rule made this crime easier, then reversing it would be a modest, sensible reform. The DOJ should answer that call — and the rest of us should stop acting surprised when policy choices have predictable, deadly consequences.
