Federal judge rules Colorado clinic can continue offering abortion pill reversal
Following the filing of a lawsuit last week against Colorado’s law banning the use of the abortion pill reversal, a federal judge ruled that a pro-life healthcare clinic is temporarily exempt from the law.
US District Court Judge Daniel Domenico said the law, SB 190 o “Banning Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers,” signed by Gov. Jared Polis on Friday as part of the pro-abortion law package, “is encumbering their own First Amendment rights.”
Bella Health and Wellness, a Catholic-founded nonprofit clinic that offers abortion pill reversal for women who take the first pill of the abortion pill regimen, mifepristone, filed the lawsuit Friday — the same day the governor signed the law to take effect. The clinic has a main campus in Englewood with centers in Denver and Lafayette, with a total of 18 health care providers serving more than 20,000 patients.
The law prohibits medical professionals from providing an abortion pill reversal, which consists of giving a progesterone pill or injection, or risk facing a $20,000 fine per violation as well as the potential loss of their medical license. Thanks to Domenico’s order, Bella can continue to provide abortion pill reversals while the lawsuit is pending — but other medical providers offering the service in Colorado cannot.
“The legal merits of plaintiffs’ claims present difficult questions that cannot be adequately evaluated within the time constraints necessary to prevent potentially irreparable harm to plaintiffs’ patients who have begun who are on progesterone treatment and their care may be delayed without immediate injunctive relief,” Domenico wrote.
The lawsuit was filed on Bella’s behalf by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty legal group.
“Colorado’s new law is the opposite of choice — it targets women who have changed their minds and forces them to undergo abortions they want to stop,” Laura Wolk Slavis, adviser to the Becket Fund, told the Catholic News Agency. “This law violates the constitutional rights of these women and their doctors. We are grateful for the court’s late-night order to stop this draconian law, allowing our clients to continue their good work serving women in need.”
The abortion pill consists of two drugs: mifepristone and misoprostol. Mifepristone currently faces legal challenges due to the risks it poses to women and the Food and Drug Administration’s relaxation of safety protections surrounding the drug. Mifepristone blocks the naturally occurring pregnancy hormone progesterone, which works to keep the preborn child alive. Misoprostol causes contractions that bring the baby out.
Women who have suffered recurrent miscarriages have received progesterone shots or pills for decades in an effort to prevent miscarriages and they have been shown to be safe. Women who take mifepristone and immediately regret it can get in touch Bringing back the Abortion Pill who is connected to a local medical professional who offers the service.
Andrea found out she was pregnant while in college and immediately thought she needed an abortion, which her boyfriend agreed to. But when the time came for the abortion, Andrea felt a “black cloud” over her and hesitated. But in the end he felt he had no other choice and took mifepristone. He immediately regretted it and tried to vomit himself. “I just know that I made the biggest mistake of my life,” he said.
After returning home and looking for a way to stop the abortion, her aunt told her to pray that the pill wouldn’t work. Soon she received a call from her stepfather about the return of the abortion pill. She called the number and was immediately greeted by a doctor to begin the process that saved her son’s life. Watch his amazing story in the video below.
A 2018 observational study showed a 64% success rate in reversing the effects of mifepristone using injected progesterone and a 68% success rate using high-dose oral progesterone. Each month, approximately 150 women begin the abortion reversal process and as of April 2022, 3,000 babies have been saved.
Health care professionals can join the Abortion Pill Rescue Network by visiting here website. For help with Abortion Pill Reversal, visit AbortionPillReversal.com or call 855-209-4848.
