In a move that underscores the ongoing battle for life in California, Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS), a nonprofit community health clinic in San Diego, has filed a federal lawsuit against California Attorney General Rob Bonta. The lawsuit, spearheaded by the Thomas More Society, challenges Bonta’s unconstitutional attempts to silence pro-life speech and shut down Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) services. This legal battle not only highlights the pro-life community’s commitment to defending life but also underscores the broader fight for religious liberty and free speech in California.
The Legal Battle:
The conflict began in September 2023 when AG Bonta filed a lawsuit against Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics, a key provider of APR services, attempting to halt its life-saving efforts. The State of California’s complaint alleges that pregnancy care centers are sharing “false or misleading statements,” as well as engaging in “unlawful, unfair, and fraudulent business practices,” for providing information about and access to Abortion Pill Reversal to pregnant women in need. Bonta is seeking a permanent injunction against HBI and RealOptions, to prevent them from sharing their science-based, life-affirming message about the benefits, success, effectiveness, and safety of Abortion Pill Reversal.
APR is a medical protocol that offers women a second chance to choose life after initiating a chemical abortion—a choice that has proven successful for many. Despite this, Bonta’s lawsuit seeks to strip away this option from women as part of a broader agenda to suppress the work of pregnancy care centers in California.
Now, COLFS, supported by the Thomas More Society, is taking a stand. On July 30, 2024, they filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, seeking declaratory and injunctive relief. Their aim? To ensure that providing APR services remains constitutionally protected, safeguarding the rights of women who choose life over abortion.
“Attorney General Rob Bonta refuses to recognize a woman’s right to reverse an abortion in progress when she has changed her mind about the procedure,” said Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation. “Abortion Pill Reversal gives these women a second chance to choose life, a choice that Bonta and the abortion industry would strip from her. In his quest to silence pregnancy help ministries, Bonta is violating Culture of Life Family Services’ right to speak and aid women in exercising their reproductive privacy rights.”
California Family Council’s Stance:
This legal challenge comes at a critical time for California’s pro-life movement. Attorney General Bonta’s actions are seen by many as an overt attempt to marginalize pro-life voices and strip women of their reproductive choices—particularly the choice to reverse an abortion once it has begun.
Greg Burt, Vice President of the California Family Council (CFC), emphasized the broader implications of this lawsuit. “Attorney General Bonta’s aggressive stance against Abortion Pill Reversal services is not just an attack on a medical protocol; it’s an attack on the fundamental freedoms of speech and religion that our nation was founded upon,” Burt stated. “Every woman deserves the right to make an informed choice, including the choice to preserve the life of her unborn child. It is appalling that our state’s top law enforcement official would use his office to deny women this vital option.”
Thought to ponder:
Here’s something surprising: the very existence of Abortion Pill Reversal is rooted in the compassionate work of pro-life physicians who sought a solution for women who regretted starting a chemical abortion. The protocol involves administering progesterone, a hormone essential for sustaining pregnancy, to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill. This method has saved thousands of lives, offering hope to women who believed they had no other choice. (Read these stories of children saved)
Conclusion:
As the case moves forward, the eyes of the nation are on California. The outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications for the pro-life movement and the defense of free speech and religious liberty across the country. For now, California Family Council stands firmly with Culture of Life Family Services, the Thomas More Society, and all who fight to preserve the right to choose life.
