In a concerning turn of events, the New York Attorney General, Letitia James, has filed a lawsuit against Heartbeat International and New York pregnancy resource centers for their advocacy of the abortion pill reversal (APR) procedure. This lawsuit is disturbing not only because it ignores the success rate of the APR procedure, but it seeks to deny women the right to reverse an abortion decision they regret.
APR provides women with a literal lifeline to try and reverse the effects of chemical abortion, potentially saving both their child and their own emotional well-being. APR is a simple procedure – women are given large doses of the hormone progesterone during their first trimester to counteract the effects of the first abortion drug, mifepristone. Progesterone has long been used to prevent miscarriage and stop preterm labor.
Pioneered by Dr. George Delgado of San Diego, California in 2012, APR has a very good success rate of 64-68 percent. As of April, 2023, an estimated 4,500 babies had been saved by APR.
Progesterone is a natural hormone with few serious side effects, however the dangers associated with chemical abortion cannot be ignored. The label of Mifeprex (the name brand of mifepristone) warns of serious and sometimes fatal infection and bleeding. In fact, abortion pill-related emergency room visits increased over 500% between 2002 and 2015. During chemical abortion, many women see and must dispose of their deceased, fully-formed babies. Because of this, many abortion practitioners tell women to avoid even looking at their dead babies.
Furthermore, many abortion businesses are dispensing chemical abortion pills recklessly, endangering women’s health. Here at the Center for Client Safety, we have evidence of abortion businesses falsifying ultrasounds and administering abortion drugs later in pregnancy when they are no longer deemed safe for women. We have also received reports of abortion facilities administering abortion drugs to large groups of women at the same time, completely ignoring HIPAA compliance.
But there is good news: Heartbeat International and others named in New York AG Letitia James’s deceptive lawsuit are fighting back. According to an April 30, 2024 Heartbeat International press release:
Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and a collective of pregnancy help organizations — represented by Thomas More Society — are suing to block imminent, ruinous legal action threatened by New York Attorney General Letitia James against pro-life ministries that offer and/or promote Abortion Pill Reversal (APR). On April 30, Thomas More Society attorneys filed a verified complaint in the Supreme Court of New York against James, outlining how her threatened prosecution and intimidation of pregnancy help organizations violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, the New York Constitution and state civil rights law.
A Memorandum of Law filed by Thomas More Society attorneys in New York clearly outlines how James’s lawsuit is a violation of free speech. It also chronicles James’s history of radical abortion advocacy, the lack of evidence in her lawsuit, and the efficacy of APR.
Our support is with our friends at Heartbeat International as they fight this egregious lawsuit. Stay tuned to the Center for Client Safety News for updates.
As we continue to work towards the protection of all human life, we can’t let unconstitutional legal actions or pro-abortion bullying stop us. Instead, we must reaffirm our commitment to supporting women, safeguarding their health, ensuring the abortion industry is held accountable, and advocating for a culture that cherishes every life.