California sued two anti-abortion groups in 2023, saying the organizations’ statements about abortion pill reversal are false and misleading.<\/p>\n
OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) \u2014\u00a0 According to a pair of religious organizations, the process of medication abortion can be reversed if a pregnant person begins taking a hormone called progesterone after they\u2019ve taken the abortion drug mifepristone.<\/p>\n
But in a bench trial in Alameda County Superior Court Wednesday, the state of California says the claims by Heartbeat International and RealOptions Inc. \u2014 who say they provide information and access to abortion pill reversal protocol \u2014 that the treatment is safe and effective are false and misleading.<\/a><\/p>\n Dr. Mitchell Creinin, an OB-GYN, researcher and specialist in complex family planning at the University of California, Davis, testified as the trial\u2019s first witness, that those claims on the safety and efficacy of abortion pill reversal rely on unsubstantiated science.<\/p>\n \u201cTo this day there is no science that proves anything,\u201d Creinin said about abortion pill reversal. \u201cI have to have some evidence, and there is just zero evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n During a medication abortion, patients are typically first given mifepristone, which loosens the lining of the uterus that holds a pregnancy in place. It is followed by a second pill called misoprostol, which generally induces contractions, allowing for the expulsion of the uterus\u2019s contents. Both pills are needed to have an effective and safe abortion, Creinin said.<\/p>\n The abortion pill reversal treatment requires taking high doses of progesterone after the mifepristone.<\/p>\n Creinin said understanding the timeline and science is important, because mifepristone alone doesn\u2019t generally complete an abortion, and pregnant people who decide to undergo abortion pill reversal treatment are likely to remain pregnant whether they take high doses of progesterone or not.<\/p>\n Under questioning by Deputy Attorney General Hayley Penan, Creinin said that one study the groups lean on heavily to make their claims \u2014 which asserts abortion pill reversal protocol is effective 68% of the time in sustaining a pregnancy \u2014 was riddled with errors and cannot be viewed as a reliable authority on abortion pill reversal testing.<\/p>\n Alameda County Superior Judge Patrick McKinney asked the physician about specific details on how studies are vetted and what constitutes informed consent versus a retrospective study.<\/p>\n Creinin said studies usually go through a process that includes reporting under guidelines of an institutional review board, something absent in the studies Heartbeat International and RealOptions cite.<\/p>\n \u201cThey are making it up as they go along,\u201d Creinin said.<\/p>\n The groups\u2019 attorney Ethan Reimers, of Messner Reeves, said in opening statements the scientific debate is ongoing and \u201cnot settled.\u201d<\/p>\n He said it was \u201cironic\u201d that California was imposing itself on a \u201cwoman\u2019s right to choose,\u201d along with making freedom of speech and free enterprise claims.<\/p>\n California is asking the court to stop the false and misleading statements by the two groups and impose a penalty of up to $2,500 per violation against each group, which equals approximately $20 million for Heartbeat International and over $600,000 for RealOptions. The state said their actions are violating California\u2019s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law.<\/p>\n But Reimers said the services the groups offer are free of charge, and the state erred when making its calculations about violation penalties, sometimes double counting people who came to the groups for information.<\/p>\n The state maintains that Californians have the right to access safe and legal abortions, the right to facts about the procedure and the right to make informed decisions.<\/p>\n A percentage of people \u2014 0.004% \u2014 may reconsider their decision to have an abortion in the middle of a medically induced procedure. Those people likely would experience emotional turmoil, be anxious, and not know what choices they have. They deserve accurate information, the state said.<\/p>\n Heartbeat International and RealOptions say abortion pill reversal is a valid option. A website for RealOptions has a part of its site dedicated to the procedure.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you regret your decision and wish you could reverse the effects of the abortion pill?\u201d the\u00a0website stated<\/a>. \u201cWe may be able to help! There is an effective process called abortion pill reversal. Contact us, time is of the essence!\u201d<\/p>\n Currently in California, crisis pregnancy centers \u2014 like the ones operated by RealOptions \u2014 outnumber abortion provider facilities. Crisis pregnancy centers don\u2019t provide abortions or refer people to them. They also have no comprehensive reproductive healthcare.<\/p>\n