A federal judge has issued a preliminary injunction blocking New York Attorney General Letitia James’ efforts to silence pregnancy care centers that offer options for potentially reversing the deadly effects of abortion pills.

Thomas More Society attorneys filed suit on April 30 against James in Monroe County, on behalf of Heartbeat International and a group of New York pregnancy help organizations. On May 6, James filed a lawsuit against the same organizations, in New York County, which covers Manhattan.

Meanwhile, attorneys with Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) are representing the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Gianna’s House, and Options Care Center in a federal lawsuit filed against James in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York. 

These faith-based, pro-life centers are contending for their right to continue informing women who have taken the first of two abortion pills that it is possible to counteract its lethal effects by seeking treatment within the first few days of taking the first pill.

But James’ lawsuit, the pro-life groups say, was an attempt to propagate a chilling effect for organizations such as theirs at the same time that pro-abortion groups are spreading misinformation about the abortion reversal process.

In this latest ruling, Judge John L. Sinatra Jr., a Trump appointee, wrote that James “in her official capacity, as well as her officers, agents, employees, attorneys and all persons in active concert or participation with her” are prohibited from enforcing consumer fraud laws against the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates; Gianna’s House, Inc.; and Choose Life of Jamestown Inc. for discussing and promoting the abortion pill reversal procedure. 

Chemical abortion involves taking mifepristone and following it with treatment of misoprostol days later, but pregnancy clinics have advised that expectant mothers who change their minds and want to continue the pregnancy can often do so by replacing the second drug with doses of progesterone.

Progesterone is a natural hormone needed to sustain pregnancy and has been used for decades to prevent miscarriage and forestall preterm labor safely and effectively. 

The judge’s injunction will remain in place pending disposition of the case, Sinatra’s order says. The order, however, only applies to the named plaintiffs, who are represented by ADF.

“The court was right to affirm the pregnancy centers’ freedom to tell interested women about this life-saving treatment option,” ADF Senior Counsel Caleb Dalton said in a statement posted on the ADF website. Dalton had also argued the case before the court on behalf of the plaintiffs. 

Heartbeat International, a pro-life group, operates what is called The Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN), which reports that it receives over 150 calls a month from women who regret their abortion decision.

To date, statistics show that more than 5,000 lives, and counting, have been saved through the Abortion Pill Rescue Network (APRN), an alliance of more than 1,400 healthcare professionals, pregnancy medical clinics and hospitals that provide the APR protocol. According to the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute, a 2018 peer-reviewed study that followed 754 women who wanted to discontinue their chemical abortions revealed that, when administered within 72 hours of taking the first abortion pill, mifepristone, the APR protocol using progesterone has a 64-68% success rate in saving unborn babies. It also found no increased risk of birth defects or preterm births. 

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