Spectators at the U.S. Open golf tournament criticized an abortion-pill advertisement that flew above the course during Father’s Day weekend, saying the political message did not belong at one of the sport’s biggest events.
A plane circled above Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, carrying a banner that read “Abortion Pills By Mail.”
Abortion-rights group Mayday Health has used the same tactic at other major sporting events. The organization flew a similar banner over the Indianapolis 500 last month as it pushes to expand access to abortion pills across the country.
“It just felt gross and divisive. I’m sure that’s exactly what this group intended, which is a real shame,” one spectator told the New York Post.
The fan said children attending the tournament noticed the banner and began asking questions.
“These kids kept pointing at the banner, asking their parents ‘What does that say?’ And it was clear they had no clue how to respond,” the spectator said.
Some fans questioned why abortion activists chose a sporting event to deliver the message.
“Especially when there are so many golfers and spectators who are strong in their faith – this felt like an intentional distraction by outside agitators to undermine the tournament,” another spectator told the New York Post.
Mayday Health launched after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. The group helps women obtain abortion pills and promotes mail-order chemical abortions.
Chemical abortions now account for most abortions in the United States. The process typically involves two drugs. A woman first takes mifepristone, which blocks a hormone needed to sustain pregnancy. She then takes misoprostol, which causes contractions killing the unborn child.
Abortion-rights activists increasingly rely on abortion pills because they can reach women in pro-life states. Federal regulators have also eased access in recent years by allowing doctors to prescribe abortion pills through telehealth appointments and ship them through the mail.
Several states have challenged abortion-pill policies in court. State officials and pro-life groups argue the federal government weakened safeguards that once required in-person medical visits.
The Lion has previously reported on concerns surrounding chemical abortion.
Last year, the Ethics and Public Policy Center released a study examining insurance claims involving hundreds of thousands of women who used mifepristone. Researchers said they found serious adverse events at a much higher rate than figures often cited by abortion advocates and federal regulators.
Mail-order abortions can also reduce medical oversight and leave women to deal with complications without direct physician care.
The United States Golf Association has not commented on the flyover.
(Image credit: Screenshot / Instagram / MayDay.Health)
