Pregnancy Centers Challenge California’s Restriction on Abortion Pill Reversal Medication
Share this: Facebook | Twitter | [Print this Article](javascript:window.print())
Pro-life pregnancy following link: centers expressed the urgency to an appellate court to stop California from censoring their speech about a medication intended to counteract the abortion pill mifepristone during discussions on October 9.
Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) is recommended or furnished by pro-life pregnancy centers to inhibit the completion of an abortion shortly after a woman has administered mifepristone to bring about a chemical abortion.
Mifepristone operates by inhibiting the hormone progesterone, which deprives the unborn child of oxygen and nutrients, as per the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute. APR serves as a progesterone supplement that is designed to rival mifepristone by restoring the hormone with the aspiration that the woman can carry her pregnancy to term, as stated by the Charlotte Lozier Institute.
Despite California not attempting to ban the use of APR or stop medical professionals from availing it to women, Attorney General Rob Bonta in 2023 sued five pro-life pregnancy centers for publicizing the medication, charging them with forging false and deceptive claims.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) doesn’t recommend the use of APR, citing a lack of evidence. Conversely, the American Association of Pro-life OBGYNs (AAPLOG) declares the literature “clearly indicates the blockade is reversible with natural progesterone”.
Subscribe to Pregnancy Help News here!
Multiple pro-life pregnancy centers that were sued by California rose against this with lawsuits, indicting Bonta of breaching their First Amendment rights. Two cases were deliberated upon by a three-judge panel for the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on October 9.
Regarding this matter, Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Caleb Dalton said, “Abortion pill reversal is a legitimate and lifesaving treatment. It only happens after a discussion and informed consent from a licensed medical professional.” Dalton further accused the attorney general of “trying to silence information about that to avoid the conversation”.
Peter Breen, Executive Vice President of Thomas More Society, who is representing COLFS (Culture of Life Family Services), expressed to the judges that the attorney general is swayed by “animus” against the pro-life movement subsequent to the Supreme Court’s verdict to reverse Roe v. Wade.
The judges inquired about California’s ‘state interest’. The California attorney general’s office was represented in court by Deputy Attorney General Erica Connolly, who contended that the studies justifying the safety and efficacy of APR are insufficient.
On the ongoing scientific debate, Judge Johnnie Rawlinson pointed out that some medical associations have declined to endorse APR as efficient, but Dalton contended that such disagreements within the medical community are “precisely what the First Amendment safeguards.”
This article was originally published by Catholic News Agency and is reprinted here with their permission. Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Currently, Heartbeat is the subject of two lawsuits by state AGs concerning the dissemination of information about Abortion Pill Reversal.