Chastity Law Sparks Abortion Debate.

The 150-year-old Comstock Act, which banned the mailing of contraceptives, lewd materials, and drugs that induce abortions, could be used to effectively ban abortion nationwide, even in states where the procedure is legal. Anti-abortion activists are challenging the means of abortion, such as the drug mifepristone, in court, and the most sweeping Comstock Act arguments could end the availability of medication abortion and could have the effect of eliminating surgical abortions as well. The Comstock Act has played a role in the ongoing lawsuit over the FDA's regulation of abortion pills, and the Biden administration has adopted a legal posture that takes a narrow view of the law's applicability.