In 1873, The Comstock Act was passed by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant to make it “illegal to send ‘obscene, lewd or lascivious’ ‘immoral,’ or ‘indecent’ publications through the mail.” It was proposed by the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice whose secretary, Anthony Comstock, was given the power to enforce the law as a special agent in the U.S. Post Office.
The Comstock Law was used until 1965 when the Griswold v. Connecticut Supreme Court case ruled it unconstitutional. In 1971, Congress removed the law’s restrictions on contraception but let the Comstock law stand.
Following SCOTUS’ overturning Roe vs. Wade in 2022, The Comstock Act was brought up the following year as a method to prevent the sale of abortifacients such as Mifepristone through the mail. Planned Parenthood has expressed concern that anything that is used in abortion care can be outlawed if it is sent through the U.S. mail, basically shutting down medication and abortion care even in states where abortion is legal.
Congress can prevent this from occurring by repealing the Comstock Act. If Congress does not repeal the Comstock Act, abortion may be banned nationwide.
Call Rep. Molinaro (NY19) (202) 225-5441
This is (your name) a constituent from (town, county). Rep. Molinaro made it a campaign promise to not support a national ban on abortion. He can partially keep his promise to support reproductive rights in NY19 by sponsoring federal legislation to repeal the Comstock Act entirely and by urging his GOP colleagues to vote in favor of such legislation. Court action to ban medication abortion via invoking the Comstock Act could end access to abortion in all states and ultimately effect a de facto national ban on abortion.
Call Rep. Ryan (NY18) 202-225-5614
This is (your name) a constituent from (town, county). Congressman Ryan has been a strong supporter of reproductive rights in NY19. Court action to ban medication abortion via invoking the Comstock Act could end access to abortion in all states and ultimately effect a de facto national ban on abortion. I’m urging him to go one step further to safeguard the country from a national ban on abortion by sponsoring federal legislation to repeal the Comstock Act entirely.
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