New York Attorney General Letitia James is being sued by pro-life pregnancy centers in her state for targeting them for providing abortion pill reversal, known as APR.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Rochester, New York against James, according to the Thomas More Society. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of pregnancy help organizations Summit Life Outreach Center and The Evergreen Association (via TMC):
As alleged in the verified complaint, James has specifically targeted pregnancy help organizations with the aim of restricting their science-based message about the success, effectiveness, and safety of APR. Through her threat campaign and prosecution, James has unconstitutionally chilled the speech of pregnancy help organizations across the state.
APR can be taken when a woman has taken mifepristone, the first pill used in a so-called “medication abortion,” to reverse its effects. APR, which contains progesterone, is meant to outweigh the effects of the abortion pill.
“Letitia James is a vocal abortion advocate who has made no attempt to hide her deeply entrenched animus against pregnancy help organizations. Ms. James is on a witch-hunt to silence our pro-life ministries and shut down their constitutionally protected speech about Abortion Pill Reversal. Instead of praise for the compassionate support these pro-life ministries provide to communities in need, Ms. James has answered their selfless service with lawsuits and investigations. In doing so, Ms. James flagrantly violates their constitutional rights by using lawfare to silence those who disagree with her,” Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation Peter Breen, said.
“Shamefully, Ms. James seeks to steal away a woman’s choice to save her preborn child, should that pregnant woman seek to stop her in-progress chemical abortion, after taking the first abortion pill. Abortion Pill Reversal gives women a second chance to choose life—a life-saving option that Ms. James seems to think pregnant women are not entitled to choose. With this federal lawsuit, we are once again going on the offense to put an end to Ms. James’ attacks on New York’s life-affirming ministries,” Breen added.
Earlier this year, Townhall covered how several women have come forward and shared that their children’s lives were saved from abortion after they took APR. According to Heartbeat International, over 4,000 lives have been saved through APR. Anymore, medication abortions, also known as chemical abortions, account for the majority of abortions in the United States.
James has boasted about getting an abortion and said that she has “no apologies” for doing so.
"I was just elected and I was faced with the decision of whether to have an abortion or not, and I chose to have an abortion," she said in 2022. "I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood, and I make no apologies to anyone."
James is not the first Democrat attorney general to target pro-life pregnancy resource centers. Another Democrat attorney general, Rob Bonta of California, sued pro-life pregnancy resource centers for alleged false advertisement of APR, which Townhall covered.
In his complaint, Bonta called the centers “predatory,” alleging they “took advantage” of vulnerable pregnant patients by making false promises.
“Those who are struggling with the complex decision to get an abortion deserve support and trustworthy guidance — not lies and misinformation,” Bonta said.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Heartbeat International shared a statement about the lawsuit.
"Through our Abortion Pill Rescue Network, we know that some women almost immediately regret their chemical abortion choice," the organization said. "These women deserve the right to try and save their pregnancies. No women should ever be forced to complete an abortion she no longer wants."
Here is our response to today’s news that California @AGRobBonta is suing us and one of our pregnancy help organizations. pic.twitter.com/xndmm2ZPFt
— Heartbeat Int'l (@HeartbeatIntl) September 22, 2023
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