Democratic California Attorney General Rob Bonta has filed a lawsuit against a pro-life charity for its alleged “false and misleading” promotion of the abortion pill reversal.
Bonta filed the lawsuit against Heartbeat International, a pro-life charity, and pregnancy resource center RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics in September 2023 claiming that the organizations have been providing women with “with false and misleading statements” and engaging in unlawful and unfair business practices regarding their promotion of Abortion Pill Reversal (APR), according to Bonta’s legal complaint.
“This is the first case of its kind to reach trial, and the implications extend far beyond Heartbeat International,” said Danielle White, general counsel for Heartbeat International, in the press release. “A ruling in California’s favor would hand attorneys general across the country a roadmap to penalize any non-profit organization that provides women with information the state disagrees with.”
APR can counter the effects of the mifepristone, the first pill of the two-pill chemical abortion, and is offered to women through an initiative of Heartbeat International, the Abortion Pill Reversal Network (APRN). The trial is set to begin June 24 in a California Superior Court.
APRN is the target of the lawsuit, according to the Thomas More Society. It provides “a 24/7 helpline and access to a network of medical professionals to help women seeking to reverse chemical abortions,” according to a Heartbeat International press release sent to the Daily Caller News Foundation. Heartbeat International’s APRN also includes a network of over 1,300 APR providers, clinics, and hospitals, reported the Thomas More Society.
“Pregnant people” who face regret after taking the abortion pill “need and deserve accurate, scientifically sound information about their options, including the risks involved with those options,” according to the legal complaint. Bonta claims in the complaint that the advertisements saying that the APR has saved “thousands of lives” and that there “is a way to ‘reverse’ the effects of mifepristone,” are false.
Bonta’s office did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
“There is no evidence showing that mifepristone can be ‘reversed’ or that the APR ‘protocol’ contributes to the continuation of a pregnancy,” the complaint complains. The charities being sued continue to promote APR, allegedly citing “flawed and misleading reports to support their claims.”
“Statistics show more than 8,000 lives have been saved following the protocol” of APR, the press release reported. APR uses the natural pregnancy hormone progesterone, which has been prescribed during gestation since the 1950’s, and is FDA-approved.
The lawsuit seeks nearly $2o million in penalties from Heartbeat International for its alleged “false and misleading statements” promoting APR, according to the press release.
Heartbeat International has asked that the court find that the First Amendment “protects their speech and women’s rights to access information about all available options following a chemical abortion,” according to the press release.
APR has been offered to women since 2012, according to the press release. One mother, Ashley, who had a change of heart after taking the abortion pill, APRN connected her with a doctor so that she could begin the reversal process to save the life of her baby, according to Heartbeat International’s website. Her son, Julian, is one of many babies the abortion pill has saved.
(DCNF)