California AG seeks $20 Million and silence over Abortion Pill Reversal
Heartbeat International will stand trial this week to defend its right to share information about Abortion Pill Reversal with women.
People v. Heartbeat International, et al. is the first lawsuit over Abortion Pill Reversal to reach trial in the United States and is set for June 24 in California Superior Court. California’s Attorney General is seeking nearly $20 million in penalties in the case against Heartbeat International over its promotion of Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) through its Abortion Pill Rescue Network.
Heartbeat argues that the state's case is an unprecedented use of consumer protection law to restrict the free flow of medical information - with consequences that would reach well beyond California. California has conceded that it has received no complaints from California women regarding APR.
"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. “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."
Heartbeat International contends as well that no woman should be forced to complete an abortion that she no longer wants and is represented by legal non-profit Thomas More Society in the case.
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Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in the U.S. and the world, with around 4,000 affiliates in more than 100 countries worldwide and around 2,400 affiliated pregnancy help locations in the U.S. Pregnancy help organizations include pregnancy centers and medical clinics, adoption agencies, and maternity homes.
The pregnancy help network also manages the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN), a 24/7 helpline and network of nearly 1,500 healthcare professionals, pregnancy centers and hospitals worldwide that administer the Abortion Pill Reversal protocol.
The abortion pill, mifepristone, or chemical abortion, accounts for the majority of all abortions in the U.S.
The chemical abortion process consists of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone blocks progesterone in the pregnant woman’s system, starving the baby in utero of necessary nutrients. Misoprostol, taken a day or so after the mifepristone, prompts the woman to go into labor and deliver her child’s remains.
If a pregnant woman takes mifepristone and has regret it may be possible to save her baby with Abortion Pill Reversal.
Abortion Pill Reversal entails administering bioidentical progesterone to counter the effects of mifepristone. It is an updated application of a treatment used since the 1950s to combat miscarriage.
All major studies show that using progesterone to counteract an in-progress chemical abortion can be effective because it is bio-identical to the hormone a woman’s body produces to sustain her pregnancy.
A 2018 peer-reviewed study showed positive results with APR, including 64%-68% of the pregnancies saved through APR, no increase in birth defects, and lower preterm delivery rate than the general population.
Results are best within 24 hours, but successful reversals have occurred 72 hours following the introduction of mifepristone.
About 200 women call the APRN each month and start Abortion Pill Reversal, equating to six reversal starts a day. Statistics show that more than 8,000 lives have been saved through APR and counting. Heartbeat International shares many of the women’s stories on its website and in news reports.
Still, there is opposition to the protocol from the abortion industry, its supporters, and some elected officials. Heartbeat and pregnancy help organizations face litigation in California and New York over the right to share information with women about APR.
The People v. Heartbeat International case will decide if state attorneys general can impose devastating fines against a charity over viewpoints with which those AGs disapprove.
Heartbeat is asking the court to find that the First Amendment protects its speech and women’s rights to access information about all available options following a chemical abortion.
The trial will include testimony from mothers who sought help through the APRN and are today raising healthy children after choosing to reverse their abortion - firsthand accounts of the access to information this case puts at risk.
“California claims to fight for women's choices. But seeking the 'death penalty' in fines to silence the charity she calls when she changes her mind is not freedom - it's control,” said Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International. “No mom should be denied the chance to save her own baby's life. Heartbeat will always fight for a mother’s right to know and her right to choose life.”
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Case resources are listed below.
Thomas More Society Case Details & Documents
State of California’s Complaint against Heartbeat International & RealOptions
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat is currently the subject of two lawsuits brought by state attorneys general concerning sharing information about Abortion Pill Reversal.
