Kentucky attorney general sues over abortion pill ads at gas stations, state fair

Hannah Pinski, Lexington Herald-Leader on Sep 4, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman filed a lawsuit Thursday against Mayday Health for advertising pills for medical abortions within Kentucky.

The lawsuit, which was filed in Logan Circuit Court, alleges Mayday Health is in violation of the Kentucky’s Consumer Protection Act and asks the organization to stop advertising the pills in Kentucky and pay penalties.

According to the complaint, Coleman is asking Mayday Health to separately pay civil penalties of no more than $2,000 per violation of the Kentucky Consumer Protection Act.

Mayday Health’s website says it is a reproductive health education nonprofit, which aims to “share information about abortion pills, birth control and gender-affirming care in any state.” In 2022, the General Assembly passed a law that made it illegal to mail, deliver or distribute abortion-inducing drugs in Kentucky.

Coleman said in a Thursday press release the organization advertised the pills at gas stations and again at the end of August with a banner attached to an airplane at the Kentucky State Fair.

“These out of state activists are not only breaking Kentucky law, they seem to delight in rubbing our faces in it,” Coleman said in the press release. “The State Fair is a beloved Kentucky tradition for families and children to celebrate our Commonwealth. We refuse to allow Mayday to taint our values and put our people at risk.”

Leo Raisner, Mayday Health executive director, defended the organization’s advertisements in a statement.

“We look forward to defending our First Amendment protected work in court — and winning, like we have against similar efforts to suppress our speech,” Raisner said. “Abortion pills are safe, effective and FDA-approved, and everyone deserves access to that information.”

In January, Coleman launched an investigation into gas stations and companies that “could be participating” in delivering pills to Kentucky for medical abortions. He sent subpoenas to six gas stations in Western Kentucky counties, Christian, Logan and Simpson, that had advertisements for abortion medication.

The advertisements read: “Pregnant? Don’t want to be? Learn more at Mayday Health.”

Prior to the investigation, medication used to abort pregnancies made headlines in Kentucky. A Wolfe County woman was indicted in early January on charges of fetal homicide, concealing the birth of an infant, and evidence tampering and abuse of a corpse after she induced an abortion using medication she’d purchased online. The charge of fetal homicide was later dismissed because the statute does not apply to women who end their pregnancies.

This isn’t the first legal battle Mayday Health has faced.

Republican South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley sent a cease-and-desist letter in December 2025 and asked a judge to stop the organization’s campaign in South Dakota. After a monthslong dispute, the nonprofit agreed to end its campaign in March at South Dakota’s gas stations, according to reporting from South Dakota Searchlight.

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