Pro-Life Leader Criticizes Light Sentence in Forced Abortion Case
SBA Pro-Life America president highlights legal gaps after Ohio man receives six months for coercing girlfriend into taking abortion pills.
The legal consequences for individuals who coerce partners into abortions have not kept pace with the increasing availability of abortion medication, according to Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America.
Dannenfelser's comments follow the sentencing of Hassan-James Abbas, an Ohio man who was given six months in prison for forcing abortion pills on his pregnant girlfriend in December 2024. The woman, Jona Affholder, subsequently lost the baby after seeking medical attention.
Abbas, then a surgical resident at the University of Toledo, allegedly obtained mifepristone and misoprostol using his estranged wife's identification. The medications, when taken together, are used to terminate early pregnancies. Authorities stated that Abbas offered Affholder the abortion pills disguised in hot chocolate and tea. He was later accused of holding her down and forcing the crushed pills into her mouth, then preventing her from calling 911.
Affholder detailed the experience in a June 2026 op-ed, writing that after she attempted to rinse the medication from her mouth, Abbas continued to restrain her. She stated that she was able to leave his residence and go to the hospital, where she began hemorrhaging and miscarried.
Abbas pleaded no contest in May 2026 to felony charges including disrupting public services, unlawfully distributing abortion-inducing drugs, identity fraud, and using deception to obtain a dangerous drug. Charges of abduction and tampering with evidence were dropped as part of the plea agreement.
Dannenfelser criticized the six-month sentence, contrasting it with penalties for other offenses. "The fact that this guy got only six months in prison for his crime says a lot about the state of our culture right now," Dannenfelser told Fox News Digital. She added that the coercion and resulting loss of the wanted child resulted in a sentence of only six months, while rape can carry significantly longer prison terms.
In a similar case in February 2024, Mason Herring of Texas received a six-month sentence for slipping misoprostol into his then-wife's drinks. Their baby survived but faced severe developmental delays.
SBA Pro-Life America argues that current Food and Drug Administration rules, which allow mifepristone to be prescribed via telehealth and mailed by certified pharmacies, contribute to the problem. Dannenfelser called on Ohio political candidates Amy Acton and Sherrod Brown to address the issue.
She also criticized abortion rights advocates and organizations like Planned Parenthood for not publicly condemning cases of forced abortions. "Where are the advocates, the feminists, the people who are against the coercion of women, the people who are 'my body, my choice,' the people who say that medical care is all that they're really looking for," Dannenfelser stated.
Planned Parenthood has previously condemned giving abortion drugs without consent, though it has not publicly commented on Affholder's specific case. Fox News Digital reached out to Planned Parenthood for comment.
Dannenfelser urged the Department of Justice to increase its involvement in prosecuting cases of forced abortions, expressing hope that the Attorney General would address the issue. Senator Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, has also called on Attorney General Todd Blanche to take action, citing the case and criticizing "Biden-era mail-in abortion policies."