Ohio Right to Life Stands with Survivor of Forced Chemical Abortion
September 23, 2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COLUMBUS, Ohio—Ohio Right to Life joins pro-life organizations across the state in condemning the shockingly lenient sentence imposed in the Toledo forced-abortion case.
Hassan-James Abbas, who was a physician and surgical resident at the time of the December 2024 crime, received just six months in jail and two years of probation for actions that resulted in the death of his unborn child. Abbas pleaded no contest to four felony charges after using his estranged wife’s personal information to obtain abortion drugs and forcing them into his pregnant girlfriend’s mouth against her will.
Jona Affholder, the survivor of this physical assault and forced abortion, has courageously spoken out about the lack of safeguards surrounding mail-order abortion drugs. Even before making her identity public, Affholder advocated through her attorney for legislation Ohio Right to Life is working to enact this year.
House Bill 324, the Patient Protection Act, establishes commonsense safeguards for prescription drugs associated with severe adverse effects. The legislation would require an in-person examination before such drugs are prescribed and prohibit their delivery through the mail. This approach protects women while operating within the framework of Ohio’s Constitution.
“It is shocking that Abbas was able to use his estranged wife’s personal information to order these dangerous drugs from an out-of-state source,” said Carrie Snyder, executive director of Ohio Right to Life. “He did not need to use his own medical credentials or take his victim to a doctor. The drugs arrived at his doorstep within days, giving an abuser the means to assault a woman and end the life of her unborn child.”
“No woman should be deceived, coerced or physically forced into an abortion—and no abuser should be able to obtain abortion drugs this easily. Jona’s courage has exposed a dangerous gap in our laws. Ohio now has a responsibility to act.”
House Bill 324 has passed the Ohio House and is currently pending before the Senate Health Committee. Ohio Right to Life looks forward to working with the Senate to pass this important legislation before the end of the year and provide stronger protections for Ohio women and their unborn children.
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