Libby Baney Comments on Illegal Sites Running Online Abortion Pill Scams With WebMD

In the article “More Illegal Sites Running Online Abortion Pill Scams,” WebMD turned to government and regulatory partner and senior advisor to the Alliance for Safe Online Pharmacies (ASOP) Libby Baney for her commentary on illegal online sites selling what they claim are abortion medications.

Baney recommended that in addition to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy safe pharmacy site, consumers looking for an online site to buy abortion pills should check legitscript.com, which accredits legitimate online pharmacies and telemedicine companies. She also emphasized checking the website address, as even sites that seem to belong to major chain pharmacies may have a slightly altered URL.

“Verify before you buy. It’s very easy to bypass the rules on the internet and operate anonymously from some unknown jurisdiction offering counterfeit or substandard pills,” said Baney, who also explained that as more states consider banning access to abortion procedures and pills, the number of illegal websites will grow. “Criminals are suppliers, and there’s consumer demand.”

Baney noted that consumers have become accustomed to trusting the first entries that come up on a browser search because they assume that they have been vetted as the most accurate. She warned against trusting an algorithm with online pharmacies selling abortion pills. “Criminals know how to game it,” she said.