Mayday Health

Mayday Health is an abortion education and advocacy organization. It runs a website that provides information on how to obtain abortion pills, especially in states where abortions are restricted. There is controversy over the use of abortion pills and the legality of ordering them through the mail, as laws differ by state and over time. Mayday Health founders claim that since they are only providing information on available options for obtaining abortion pills and are not prescribing, providing, or handling them, they are protected by the First Amendment. 1

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At-A-Glance

Type: Non-profit, 501(c)(3)
Issue Areas: Abortion Policy
Founded:

2022

Executive Director:

Jennifer Lincoln, MD

Location: New York, NY View on map

Contents

    Background

    Activists have said that they conceptualized Mayday Health in May 2022 after the Supreme Court Dobbs v. Jackson leak, and the group was launched on June 24, 2022, the day that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. 1 It was founded by Democratic digital strategist Olivia Raisner, Democratic speechwriter Sam Koppelman, and health care entrepreneur Nathaniel Horwitz. 1

    Mayday provides information about abortion pills, which are two medications (misoprostol and mifepristone) prescribed by a doctor that, when taken within 48 hours of one another, can terminate a pregnancy. 1

    The website provides viewers with links to legal, healthcare, and privacy resources, along with general information about the abortion pills, including legality and effectiveness. 2

    Mayday Health advertises its website targeting demographics who might need abortions in restrictive states. 3 Mayday coordinated a system of mobile billboards that are driven through college campuses in 14 states that restrict abortion. The billboards displayed QR codes that link to the Mayday Health website. 4

    Controversies

    State abortion laws began to evolve in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that reversed the national right to abortion derived from Roe v. Wade  and related cases. In some states remote prescriptions from a U.S. physician for abortion medication is allowed. As of April 2023, it is illegal to prescribe abortion pills remotely in 19 states. 5

    The founders of Mayday have maintained that the information they provide is protected speech under the First Amendment. Mayday Health does not prescribe, provide, or handle abortion pills, so they argue that they cannot be accused of anything other than providing information. 1

    In July 2022, Mayday Health erected three billboards in Jackson, Mississippi advertising its website. The Mississippi state attorney general’s office then subpoenaed Mayday Health, requesting documents regarding its activities. Mayday Health responded with television ads on Mississippi channels and said that it was planning to erect 20 additional billboards. 6

    In November 2022, Spotify rejected an ad that Mayday Health submitted, indicating concerns that Mayday’s website promotes and links to Aid Access, which is not a verified pharmacy 7 and dispenses medication prescribed by physicians based outside of the United States from a non-U.S. and non-FDA certified facility. 3

    Leadership

    Jennifer Lincoln, an OB/GYN physician at Providence Health and Services, joined Mayday Health as executive director in February 2023. In May 2022, Lincoln founded Three for Freedom, 8 a website that provides information on how to obtain birth control, emergency contraception, and abortion pills. 9 She is also a co-founder of abortion activist group Obstetricians for Reproductive Justice. 10

    Sam Koppelman is a co-founder of Mayday Health. Previously he was a speechwriter at Bloomberg Philanthropies, for Democratic Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, and for the Biden for President campaign. He co-authored a book entitled Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump which was published in November 2019. 11

    Boston healthcare entrepreneur and activist Nathaniel Brooks Horwitz is a co-founder and executive chair of Mayday Health. In addition to Mayday Health, he has co-founded four companies associated with biomedical research and development. 12

    Olivia Raisner is a co-founder and creative director of Mayday Health. Previously she was digital director for left-of-center group Tax March, the Biden for President campaign, the Biden-Harris Transition team, and for the White House Office. 13

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    References

    1. Charlotte Alter. “This Group Wants to Teach You How to Get Abortions Even Where They’re Banned.” Time. December 9, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://time.com/6239573/mayday-health-abortion-pills/
    2. Natalie Aymond. ‘Mayday, mayday, mayday: Abortion pills to the rescue.” MV Times. August 17, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.mvtimes.com/2022/08/17/mayday-mayday-mayday-abortion-pills-rescue/
    3. Ashley Carman. “Deciphering Spotify’s Ad Policy on Abortion Pills.” Bloomberg. November 17, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2022-11-17/tracking-spotify-s-ad-policy-on-abortion-pills
    4. Ed Pilkington. “Billboards advise on how to get abortion pills in US states where procedure is banned.” The Guardian. March 3, 2023. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/03/abortion-pill-billboards-us-states-bans
    5. [1] Kate Haberl. “After Roe v Wade, Abortion Still Accessible in All 50 States.” Capital Research Center. April 11, 2023. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://capitalresearch.org/article/after-roe-v-wade-abortion-still-accessible-in-all-50-states/
    6. Yascha Mounk. “Why Freedom of Speech is the Next Abortion Fight.” The Atlantic. August 22, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/08/freedom-speech-mississippi-abortion-rights/671202/
    7. Kylie Cheung. “Why is Spotify Blocking Ads for Abortion Pills?” Jezebel. November 21, 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://jezebel.com/why-is-spotify-blocking-ads-for-abortion-pills-1849809524?rev=1669065886576
    8. LinkedIn – Jennifer Lincoln. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjenniferlincoln/recent-activity/
    9. Three for Freedom website. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.threeforfreedom.com/
    10. LinkedIn – Jennifer Lincoln – Activity. October 2022. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjenniferlincoln/recent-activity/
    11. LinkedIn – Sam Koppelman. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/sam-koppelman-7a154256/details/experience/
    12. LinkedIn – Nathaniel Brooks Horwitz. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-brooks-horwitz/
    13. LinkedIn – Olivia Raisner. Accessed April 14, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/olivia-raisner-9571a170/