After taking the abortion pill, Katianna immediately regretted her decision. Through the efforts of the Abortion Pill Rescue Network® (APRN) and a pregnancy center in Miami, Florida, she and her pre-born child did not undergo the devastation of abortion.
“I Googled ‘abortion regret,’ and immediately found the Abortion Pill Reversal,´ Katianna said in a video produced when she was 25 weeks along. “I was skeptical – I had never heard of this before.”
She visited the APRN website and took the next step: she called and spoke with a nurse. After asking several questions, the APRN staff member put Katianna in touch with a physician in her area of Miami, who, in turn, contacted the Heartbeat of Miami pregnancy center.
“Katianna was devastated after she realized what she had done,” said Martha Avila, executive director of Heartbeat of Miami.
“She had already taken the first two doses of the abortion pill,” Avila said. “She was desperate to get help to save her baby’s life.
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Staff at the Heartbeat of Miami center provided an ultrasound to ensure the young woman’s baby still had a heartbeat. Katianna continued the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol, and last month she delivered a healthy baby girl, whom she named Ocean.
“From the bottom of my heart, I want to say, ‘thank you,’” Katianna said. “I’m extremely blessed.”
“If it weren’t for their help, how quick, how knowledgeable, and how effective the treatment was, I would be sad and depressed,” she said, “and my baby would not be alive.”
APR is newer application of a treatment used since the 1950s to prevent miscarriage. It involves prescribing a bioidentical version of progesterone, the natural hormone found in a woman’s body during pregnancy, to counter the effects of the first pill in a chemical abortion, mifepristone.
In a 2018 peer-reviewed study APR had positive results, with 64%-68% of the pregnancies saved through the protocol, no increase in birth defects, and a lower preterm delivery rate than in the general population.
If a pregnant woman has taken the first abortion pill and has regret and she acts quickly enough, it may be possible to save her pre-born child though APR.
Successful reversals have taken place as long as 72 hours after the first abortion pill was taken, but results are best within 24 hours.
The APRN consists of roughly 1,000 providers who facilitate APR and is managed by Heartbeat International, the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in the world. The APR Network reports that to date, 3,000 lives and counting have been saved through APR.
Like many women, Katianna felt pressured to abort.
“She stated that she felt pressured to do the abortion by her partner who did not support her and did not want anything to do with the pregnancy,” Avila said
“Deep down she always wanted her baby but was pressured by boyfriend and family to do an abortion,” Avila continued.
“I felt I had no choice,” Katianna said.
Pressure to abort is common.
A special report from Heartbeat International reveals 64 percent of women who have abortions are coerced, whether by their partners, family, or employer. Such pressure can escalate into violence. Homicide is a leading cause of death for pregnant women, and such deaths have occurred across the U.S.
Katianna took a brave step to reach out to the APRN. Heartbeat of Miami assisted her with follow-up ultrasounds, keeping in contact with her physician and guiding Katianna with securing healthcare coverage.
Katianna received counseling, encouragement, and the Word of God, Avila said.
“She was so grateful that she was willing to share her testimony so that other women could also have an opportunity to save their baby’s life,” Avila told Pregnancy Help News.
Katianna is one of many APR cases Heartbeat of Miami has seen during the past few years, according to Avila, who founded the Florida organization.
“Thank God Almighty!” Avila said. “Of all the cases that we have seen, the Lord has just given that opportunity of a second chance (for the women and their unborn).”
“What an awesome blessing to witness God’s miracles,” she said.
During the COVID-19 shutdown of 2020, Avila said she convinced officials to allow Heartbeat of Miami stay open, providing essential services. One of those services was APR.
Avila recalled another APR case.
“The mom was pregnant with her seventh child,” she said. “She was so regretful (after taking the abortion pill) that she started looking, and she found APR (online).”
“In the middle of everything that was happening with the pandemic, it would have been so easy to have said, ‘Okay, whatever – it’s a done deal,’” Avila said. “But no; she continued to fight.”
“She was super grateful that she continued to seek a way out and how God allowed this beautiful baby to be born!” said Avila. “It was just like taking a tool at every level, to know first of all that APR was there, and then that we were open during that difficult time.”
The first Heartbeat of Miami center opened in 2007. What began as one pregnancy help clinic grew to four over the years, with all locations offering medical services, including APR.
“We have two doctors that we work with very closely,” Avila said. “They immediately send the client to us and then we do the ultrasound. We continue to follow up.”
Offering APR brings joy to Avila, her staff, board members, and donors. All among them are dedicated to helping women, including those who have taken the abortion pill.
“We're very excited that we have been a part of this since Heartbeat International started (the APRN),” she said.
“It's so awesome to be able to track them (APR providers) down and be a part of that (APR process), even in a small way” said Avila, “and also making sure we're available for that mom, that we are able to detect the heartbeat.”
“Our sonographers are so amazing,” she said, “that even if it is a Saturday or Sunday, we open the clinic just to make sure that that she doesn't give up, that she sees that there is a heartbeat, that there's still hope.”
Avila added, “I believe that we are the ones, all of us doing this (pregnancy help work), we're so blessed to have been chosen by God to do this (and) that we can give a little hope.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue Network and Pregnancy Help News.
