Federal court endorses women’s choice, lifting Colorado’s ban on Abortion Pill Reversal”

A Colorado law that prohibited medical professionals from offering Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) has been struck down by a federal court, a move that has been praised by pro-life health practitioners and their patients. The legislation enacted in April 2023, deemed it illegal for doctors and nurses to offer progesterone – a hormone crucial to maintaining pregnancy – to women who had taken the first abortion pill and wished to undo its effects. The law had been temporarily halted since October of last year, but this new ruling makes the prohibition permanent for all pro-life providers involved in the case.

Bella Health and Wellness, a Catholic medical clinic, initiated the case with the aid of the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. Since receiving the court’s initial protection last year, Bella has successfully assisted many women to continue their pregnancies, leading to a minimum of 16 live births.

The court ruling noted that while the clinical effectiveness of abortion pill reversal is disputable, no harm has been caused by the treatment and several women have successfully given birth after receiving it. More so, the law violated the sincerely-held religious beliefs of the plaintiffs by effectively banning them from using a certain treatment for pregnant women.

Colorado now has 30 days to appeal the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. This legal victory now provides more solid ground for efforts in Colorado and elsewhere.