Colorado’s new ban on abortion pill reversal (APR) has been stopped in its tracks—for now. Time will tell if that ban will ultimately thrive or not.
Democrat Colorado Governor Jared Polis had signed the ban into law on April 14. It would punish medical professionals for administering the treatment to women who change their minds after beginning the chemical abortion process. The Centennial State is the first in the country to attempt banning APR.
But mere hours after Polis added his signature, a federal judge blocked the state from enforcing the ban against Bella Health + Wellness, a Catholic pro-life clinic.
That organization had quickly partnered with Becket Fund for Religious Liberty to file a lawsuit against the state. Their argument? This ban violates the First Amendment by singling out faith-based healthcare organizations that offer life-affirming care.
According to the state’s attorney general, Phil Weiser, Colorado’s medical and nursing boards held private meetings in response to the lawsuit. They ultimately decided not to enforce the ban until rulemaking processes on the treatments are completed.
The processes won’t be completed until September. As a result, Bella Health + Wellness won’t face the ban in the meantime and thus has no grounds to challenge it.
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The president for Heartbeat International, which manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), remarked on the critical need to keep access to abortion pill reversal in place for women.
“At least once every week a woman in Colorado reaches out for help after having ingested the first abortion pill,” said Jor-El Godsey. “It’s important to allow this life-saving treatment to continue to be available for these women until September and beyond.”
Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help in the U.S. and globally, and the APRN is made up of more than 1,200 rescue providers and centers across the world.
APR has provided second chances for women who panic with regret after taking the abortion pill, which comes in two doses. The first is mifepristone, which is followed by misoprostol.
Mifepristone deprives the baby of vital nutrients needed for him or her to continue developing. Days after women take mifepristone, misoprostol is then ingested. That pill starts cramping and contractions, which ultimately cause the women to oust the baby’s body.
In short, the woman gives birth to a dead, premature baby.
APR involves an increased dose of progesterone, which saves the baby by making sure it gets those critical nutrients in order to survive. Progesterone, already approved by the FDA, has been used for decades to help women support their pregnancies upon facing the risk of miscarriage.
The lawsuit by Bella Health + Wellness has appeared while the Supreme Court debated and ultimately allowed mifepristone to keep its FDA approval. Only Justices Thomas and Alito dissented in the case.
So, while mifepristone continues to be protected, it remains to be seen if APR will enjoy the same fate or if the Colorado ban will be able to squash it.
Before the ban, a young woman in Colorado had earlier shared that she felt “devastated” after taking the first pill, mifepristone. She was able to swiftly get into Bella Health + Wellness, where an ultrasound was performed.
And that’s when she saw her baby was still alive.
“I could hear the baby’s beautiful heartbeat – strong and steady,” the young mother said. “Once I heard that, there was no going back.’
She knew she was going to fight for her child. And fight she did, by undergoing APR. It was successful and the baby was able to survive.
Tweet This: At least 1X every week a woman in Colo. reaches out after having ingested the 1st abortion pill. It’s important to allow APR to continue.
If the ban is reactivated, Colorado women who change their minds after ingesting mifepristone will be prevented from being able to do anything to stop it. They’ll instead have to watch in horror as the process plays itself out and their baby dies.
Godsey commented that the science of APR is sound, a fact that the medical professionals charged with reviewing Colorado’s newly passed ban on APR should recognize.
“We’re confident the Colorado professional healthcare officials will review the actual science and conclude every major study supports the role of bio-identical progesterone,” he continued. “Raw political power should not thwart the science that will help Colorado women withdraw their consent from an abortion they no longer want.”
As Godsey referenced, political power has seemingly been at play. The original legislation for the ban, Senate Bill 23-190, hurtled through the approval process by both chambers of the Colorado General Assembly in less than a month. That type of speed is rare.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Stay tuned for Pregnancy Help News for further updates.
