Erika learned she was pregnant in 2016, and when she did, she considered abortion because her partner was pressuring her to abort their baby.
“He was adamant that we could not have the child,” Erika said, “and he basically went with me to the doctor … he was in the room.”
Already a single parent, it was a difficult situation for her, she said.
It wasn’t until Erika’s second visit to her doctor’s office that she ended up taking the chemical abortion pill. It was also after telling her provider during the visit that she wasn’t sure about the abortion decision. Ericka’s provider told her she had to make her choice, because once she took the pill, she wouldn't be able to go back or make any changes.
“I ended up [] taking it because of how my partner was pressuring me and his reaction, it just put me in a state that I felt like I had to do it,” Erika said. “I just felt like I had no other option and I didn't have any other support.”
Erika’s story is like many other women who experience unexpected pregnancy; abortion is a choice they don’t want to make but they feel pressured, either by circumstances or someone in their life. Her story is also like many others in that she experienced regret after taking the chemical abortion pill and wanted a second chance at choice.
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Erika’s story also includes being the first mom who reversed her chemical abortion to testify at the U.S.’s first trial over Abortion Pill Reversal (APR).
California Attorney General Bonta sued Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics in September 2023 over sharing information about APR and the trial for The People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International & RealOptions began June 24.
Bonta is suing to block Heartbeat and its affiliate RealOptions from “advertising Abortion Pill Reversal as safe and effective” and seeking nearly $20 million in penalties. The State’s complaint alleges that Heartbeat and RealOptions are sharing “false or misleading statements,” and engaging in “unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices,” for providing information about and access to Abortion Pill Reversal.
Heartbeat, the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in both the U.S. and the world, and manager of the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN), along with RealOptions, are represented by legal non-profit Thomas More Society.
They argue that women should be allowed to have access to information about APR, an updated treatment used since the 1950s to prevent miscarriage. They say that the state's case is an unprecedented use of consumer protection law to curb the free flow of medical information with potential consequences reaching well beyond California. The state has admitted it has received no complaints from California women regarding APR.
Erika, who was served by RealOptions in her experience with APR, was the first of three APR moms to testify in the trial taking place in California Superior Court.
Attorneys for the defendants asked Erika if she felt regret upon taking the abortion pill.
“Yes,” Erika answered.
“I went home, and I was supposed to take a second pill, and I just couldn't,” she said. “So, I decided I was not gonna take the second pill and see if there was a way to reverse it.”
Chemical abortion consists of two drugs, mifepristone, which blocks progesterone in the woman’s system, starving the child in utero of necessary nutrients, and misoprostol, which prompts the mother to go into labor and deliver her unborn baby’s remains. If a woman has taken mifepristone, changes her mind, and acts quickly, enough it may be possible to save her child through APR.
This was the situation Erika found herself in.
“Which is when I started to go online and look for a way to reverse it or if there was any way that I could save my baby,” she said. “I found a website with the phone number and I called it.”
Erika explained that APRN personnel returned her call, and connected me to RealOptions, which has four licensed medical clinics that encircle the San Francisco Bay area. The clinics provide both men’s and women’s health services. RealOptions has had 44 babies born following APR treatment. Statistics show that more than 8,000 lives have been saved through the APRN.
After Erika arrived at RealOptions she was able to have an ultrasound to confirm her pregnancy.
“That's when I saw my child for the first time,” she said.
Erika said she was nervous, but she felt “warm and welcome” at the pregnancy help medical clinic.
“Just the way that they treated me without judgment,” she recalled.
On that first visit she had her older son with her at the clinic. Staff there welcomed him as well and helped her with him while she was working through the emotions she was feeling in her situation. RealOptions also helped to arrange transportation for her to get to the clinic.
Erika was about eight or nine weeks along in her pregnancy at that time.
She returned to RealOptions for a time to continue receiving APR treatment and overall support from the clinic.
“Because they were my support system, too, throughout that,” Erika said.
She was questioned about videos RealOptions made about her story, showing her coming in for an appointment and talking with the nurse who was administering her treatment, another video about the birth of her child, and a third update video when her baby was older. The videos were posted to the RealOptions YouTube channel and played at clinic gala events.
Erika said she decided to take part in the videos to share her story for the benefit of other women in her same situation.
“Because I think it's something that women can have, you know, [relate] their stories to what happened to me,” she said, “and that there is an option out there to save their child if they're put in a situation where they're forced to make a decision that they don't want.”
Asked whether based on her experience, she thinks that women should be allowed to know that abortion pill reversal treatment may be an option for them, Erika answered, “Yes.”
Tweet This: Women should be allowed to have access to information about Abortion Pill Reversal.
Responding to questioning about how RealOptions continued to support her throughout her APR treatment Erika said, “They were always warm and reassuring that I was gonna be okay, and the baby would be okay, and no matter what would happen, they were there to support me.”
More than 200 women who sought assistance through the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, including more than 40 women from California, have signed an open letter expressing gratitude for the information and care they received from the (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. Many of the women included pictures of their children with their message.
Erika’s testimony came on day 8 of the trial. Two more APR moms are slated to testify, and the trial is scheduled through late July.
The open letter from the APR moms is available HERE.
View a slideshow of APR babies and children HERE.
Heartbeat International's case page for The People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International & RealOptions is available HERE.
The Thomas More Society case page is available HERE.
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.
