(LifeSiteNews) — Dr. Hassan Abbas, a surgical resident at University of Toledo Medical Center and a suspended Ohio physician, pleaded no contest in court last Thursday to felony charges related to an attempt to force his pregnant girlfriend to ingest abortion pills. Abbas had previously entered a not guilty plea, according to WTOL.
Abbas pleaded no contest to the disrupting public services, unlawful distribution of an abortion pill, identity fraud, and deception to obtain dangerous drugs.
After separating from his wife in 2024, Abbas began a romantic relationship with his girlfriend, who became pregnant. Abbas allegedly used his wife’s name to order the abortion drugs, Mifepristone and Misoprostol, planning to give them to his girlfriend. Abbas then attempted to forcibly give the medication to his girlfriend and hung up on 911 when she attempted to call for help.
The victim was unhappy with Abbas’ plea deal, WTOL reported. She wanted to Abbas to plead guilty and face the full ramifications of his crimes. The woman had previously attempted to sue Abbas for the wrongful death of her child but was told she would need to give up her anonymity to do so.
Coerced abortions have become increasingly common with the widespread distribution of abortion pills via mail. Recently, states have begun the initiative to ban dangerous mail-order abortion pills.
Last week, Iowa passed legislation requiring that women be provided with written informed consent outlining the potential risks and dangers associated with abortion pills before they are prescribed or administered. Republican state Rep. Devon Wood said that the bill would act as a “lifeline” to women in the case of possible unsafe conditions.
“By requiring in-person screenings, we are giving these women a lifeline,” Wood noted.
“We are providing a private, clinical sanctuary where an expert can look them in the eye and ask, ‘Are you safe?’ That opportunity for intervention is lost the moment that we remove this process to a computer screen, a phone or a mailbox,” he continued.
Previous research suggests that abortion pill coercion is more common than expected. In a 2023 study done by the Charlotte Lozier Institute, 70 percent of women reported that their abortions had been “coerced, pressured, or inconsistent with their own values and preferences.”