Despite opposition from its national health ministry New Zealand’s right to life organization is not backing down on its campaign for women there to have access to information on the life-saving Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol.
The New Zealand Ministry of Health released a statement earlier this year warning against the use of progesterone to reverse chemical abortions, stating it “does not support of recognize” APR, and calling it an “unsafe and scientifically unsupported practice.” Because progesterone has not been approved in New Zealand for Abortion Pill Reversal, the health office said, individuals promoting APR could face six months imprisonment and fines up to $20,000 fine and corporations could be fined up to $100,000. In a corresponding position statement the health ministry claimed that APR “is not established by clinical research trials and could lead to severe side effects and adverse outcomes,” and said that health professionals should neither provide it nor offer it.
“In an unprecedented assault on human rights, the Ministry of Health has threatened our doctors with prosecution and possible prison sentences, if they provide the hormone progesterone to any woman, in order to reverse their early medical abortion,” Right to Life New Zealand said in a statement.
“Right to Life believes that the Ministry of Health, which should be at the forefront in defending the right to life of our precious unborn children, and the health of their mothers, has been infiltrated by the pro-abortion movement, who are advocates for the “culture of death,” the pro-life group said.
Despite the New Zealand health ministry’s claims, Abortion Pill Reversal has been proven to be a safe and effective treatment that has saved thousands of preborn lives.
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Chemical abortion, also known as medical abortion, is a two-drug process that begins with the pregnant woman taking the drug mifepristone, which binds to progesterone receptors in the placenta and uterus, starving the unborn baby of necessary nutrients. The second drug, misoprostol, taken a day or so later, then causes the mother to go into labor, delivering her presumably deceased child.
If a woman who has taken the first abortion drug has regret and she acts quickly enough, it may be possible to save her unborn child with APR.
Abortion Pill Reversal involves prescribing progesterone, a natural hormone necessary for sustaining a pregnancy, in order to reverse the mifepristone’s effects. It is an updated application of a treatment used for deceased to combat miscarriage.
To date, more than 5,000 lives and counting have been saved thanks to the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), a worldwide network of more than 1,400 healthcare professionals, pregnancy centers, hospitals, and pharmacists that administer the APR protocol.
Right to Life New Zealand has been campaigning for government acceptance of APR since 2022, according to Right to Life New Zealand Spokesperson Ken Orr.
In November of 2023, the group filed a complaint with the Ombudsman (an officer of the New Zealand Parliament) against the Ministry of Health for its part in depriving women of informed consent for failing to tell women seeking an abortion that the APR is available. The complaint was accepted and awaits adjudication.
“I believe that the Ministry of Health is failing in its obligations and duties as the regulatory authority to comply with the code in providing information to consumers seeking an early medical abortion,” Orr stated in the complaint. “Right to Life requests that you ensure that all women considering an early medical abortion be advised that they have a right to withdraw their consent to this procedure and to receive treatment with progesterone to reverse the medical abortion after taking mifepristone and prior to taking the prostaglandin misoprostol.”
Orr confirmed for Pregnancy Help News that there were more than 10,000 early medical abortions in New Zealand last year.
Tweet This: NZ Right to Life believes the Ministry of Health should be defending the right to life of unborn children and the health of their mothers.
The pro-life group had written more recently in July of this year to the New Zealand Director of General Health, providing statistics from Heartbeat International, which manages the APRN, on the lives saved through APR. Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations both in the U.S. and internationally.
Dr. Diana Sarfati responded to Right to Life New Zealand on behalf of the Ministry of Health, stating it does not, “does not support that abortion reversal is safe and effective,” and claiming that, “all reputable medical and research sources agree that there is a lack of evidence of efficacy and that there are safety concerns related to abortion reversal.”
Christa Brown, senior director of Medical Impact for Heartbeat International, refuted the New Zealand health ministry’s claims about APR’s effectiveness and emphasized that women have the right to change their mind about a chemical abortion they have started.
“While the Ministry of Health denies evidence that reversal of mifepristone is effective, reversal was well understood in the development of mifepristone, has been proven in animal and human studies, and is evident in the thousands of children born throughout the world after successful abortion pill reversal,” Brown said.
“Progesterone treatment is commonly used in preventing recurrent miscarriage or preterm birth, IVF support, and treatment during menopause and gender transition,” Brown told Pregnancy Help News.
“It should not be a privilege to continue a pregnancy,” Brown said. “Condemning women to complete an abortion they do not want is not a choice and it is unethical to withhold information and access to this care from those requesting it.”
Heartbeat International Vice President of Communications and Marketing Andrea Trudden similarly affirmed that women have the right to change their mind and withdraw consent for a chemical abortion.
“The Ministry of Health's position against Abortion Pill Reversal is not only scientifically unfounded but also infringes on a woman's right to make decisions about her pregnancy,” she said.
“In addition,” Trudden said, “the threat of fines and imprisonment for promoting APR reveals an ironic and alarming disregard for the very right they profess to uphold - that every woman should have the choice to continue her pregnancy if she so wishes.”
She went on to note how a 2018 peer-reviewed study showed a 64%-68% success rate for APR.
This government animus toward life-affirming options for women follows the New Zealand Parliament’s passage in 2020 of the extreme Abortion Legislation Act, allowing abortion on demand up to 20 weeks for any reason. One in five babies in New Zealand are killed in the womb, and early medical abortions totaled 10,047 in 2023, according to Right to Life New Zealand’s Orr.
In its statement on the Ministry of Health’s disregard for APR, Right to Life New Zealand also called out the government office for funding, promoting, and seeking to protect the abortion industry.
“Right to Life believes that New Zealand is the only country in the world whose government has threatened doctors with prison, if they prescribe progesterone to reverse an EMA, and those who dare to encourage women to do so,” the group said. “It will be a day of shame when a doctor is sent to prison for saving the life of a child.”
New Zealand isn’t the only battleground for government opposition to providing APR or sharing information on the protocol.
State attorneys general in California and New York have initiated lawsuits against pregnancy help organizations for sharing information on reversal. The lawsuits are ongoing in both federal and state courts.
Medical providers in Colorado are experiencing opposition to providing APR services to women after the state passed a law in 2023 making it unprofessional conduct to offer women progesterone when they are seeking to reverse the effects of mifepristone. Some providers have sued, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado has issued a preliminary injunction against the law which applies to the plaintiffs in the case.
Despite the efforts to suppress APR, the Abortion Pill Rescue Network continues to help women across the world seeking to continue their pregnancies. Right to Life New Zealand continues in its campaign for women to have informed consent when considering a chemical abortion, concurring with Trudden as she stated that, “No woman should be forced to complete an abortion she no longer wants.”
“We will continue to campaign for approval of APR in New Zealand,” Orr told Pregnancy Help News.
Visit the Abortion Pill Reversal and Abortion Pill Rescue Network web pages to learn more about Abortion Pill Reversal and the APRN.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News. Heartbeat is currently the subject of two lawsuits brought by state AGs concerning sharing information about Abortion Pill Reversal.
