Heartbeat International and the Thomas More Society have joined together to respond to a lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta which aims to dismantle the life-saving Abortion Pill Rescue Network.
In a lawsuit filed on September 21st, Attorney General Bonta targeted Heartbeat International (HBI), a global organization that supports an extensive network of pregnancy centers, and RealOptions Obria (RealOptions), a chain of five crisis pregnancy centers located in Northern California. The legal defense for both Heartbeat International and RealOptions is being handled by the Thomas More Society.
The lawsuit alleges that both entities spread false and deceptive claims in promoting abortion pill reversal (APR) and aims to stop HBI and RealOptions from continuing their life-affirming efforts through their Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which offers the abortion pill reversal protocol to women who wish to reverse the effects of their chemical abortion. The Abortion Pill Rescue Network is composed of a helpline, nursing services, progesterone providers, and continuous care.
Bonta argues that proponents of APR “falsely claim” that administering high doses of the hormone progesterone within 72 hours of taking the abortion drug mifepristone can effectively and safely reverse the effects of mifepristone. He asserts that “there is absolutely no scientific basis to support such a claim.” In reality, extensive research backs the claims of the pro-life organizations while AG Bonta’s arguments lack credibility.
“Attorney General Rob Bonta is bringing down the full force of the California government, at the beck and call of the abortion lobby, to silence and bury information that helps women save their preborn children,” said Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel and Partner, LiMandri and Jonna LLP. “This disgraceful attempt to strong-arm a life-affirming organization into submission is a threat to mothers who know the precious gift of life and all like-minded organizations.”
Jonna goes on to say that there is “overwhelming evidence” in support of the safety and effectiveness of APR. He says that AG Bonta’s “outrageously false claims” are “a desperate attempt to eliminate any competition of the well-funded abortion lobby with which Bonta has proudly partnered with in legal action throughout his career.”
Similarly, Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International said, “The intent of Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuit against Heartbeat International seems to be to censor life-saving information from women regarding Abortion Pill Reversal, despite compelling evidence of the safety of progesterone and its effectiveness in countering the abortion drug, mifepristone. We know that Abortion Pill Reversal helps women who have changed their minds about abortions they’ve already started. The Attorney General cannot simply ghost the myriad of women who have done so in California—women like Rebekah, Emily, and Karen, or their children who survived a chemical abortion.”
Godsey and Jonna also emphasized that over 4,500 women have effectively saved their preborn children with abortion pill reversal. They highlighted that this state-of-the-art protocol is based on a well-established, FDA-approved treatment with a history of decades of use in preventing miscarriages and preterm births. Heartbeat International showcases the stories of mothers and children who received support from the Abortion Pill Rescue Network at heartbeatinternational.org/aprn-lives-saved.
While it’s deeply concerning that California’s Attorney General is actively working to strip women of their right to know the truth about their options, the good news is that this case is in good hands. Hopefully, pro-lifers can use this case as an opportunity to bring awareness to the option of APR and save women from the deep pain and regret that comes with abortion.
