NY Pregnancy Centers Win Round One Against AG Letitia James
Written by on August 26, 2024
[[{“value”:”
On August 22, 2024, two New York pro-life pregnancy centers and a national pro-life organization won a significant victory over New York Attorney General Letitia James in federal court. Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York issued a preliminary injunction against AG James that temporarily forbids her from pursuing legal action against the plaintiffs for promoting abortion pill reversals.
Sadly, in recent years, pill abortions have become increasingly common in the United States. Abortion pills are used to abort a baby during the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. Typically, a two-pill regimen is used. The first pill, mifepristone, deprives a developing unborn baby of the blood and nutrients necessary for survival. The second pill, misoprostol, causes a pregnant mother to experience contractions that expel her unborn baby from her womb. Contrary to the self-serving claims made by the abortion industry and its allies (including the aggressively pro-abortion Biden-Harris administration), abortion pills aren’t just lethal for babies; they are also dangerous for women.
Some pregnant moms begin the process of undergoing pill abortions and then have second thoughts. Those pregnant moms have a life-affirming option available to them. That option is known as abortion pill reversal. Abortion pill reversal involves the use of the hormone progesterone to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill (mifepristone). When taken promptly and with appropriate medical guidance, progesterone can save a pregnancy that has been endangered through the use of mifepristone. A 2018 study of 754 women who underwent abortion pill reversal found that more than 60% of those women’s babies were saved; the study found no evidence to indicate that abortion pill reversal led to birth defects.
As one might expect, abortion pill reversal is not popular with abortion advocates. New York Attorney General Letitia James is one such advocate. AG James—who has received campaign contributions from Planned Parenthood and from leftist financier George Soros—has used her position of authority to promote abortion in a variety of ways. After the Supreme Court overturned the notorious Roe v. Wade decision, AG James sent a memo to New York law enforcement officials to remind them that abortion is still legal here. The Attorney General’s taxpayer-funded website advertises an abortion-access hotline and warns readers to “beware” of pro-life pregnancy centers. Earlier this year, AG James visited the Supreme Court of the United States to show her support for abortion pill availability; at that time, the Attorney General commented, “‘Hands off our bodies. We cannot allow anti-choice forces to make political decisions and ignore the facts, ignore the science, ignore the judgment of medical professionals. H–l no.’” At a 2022 pro-abortion rally, AG James informed the crowd that during the early portion of her political career, she herself had obtained an abortion. The Attorney General said, “‘I walked proudly into Planned Parenthood, and I make no apologies to anyone.’”
On May 6, 2024, AG James sued 11 of New York’s pro-life pregnancy centers in state court for promoting abortion pill reversal. The Attorney General claimed that in so doing, the defendants had engaged in false advertising, fraud, and deceptive business practices. In response, the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and two of its New York centers—Gianna’s House in Brewster and Options Care Center in Jamestown—filed a federal lawsuit against AG James; the lawsuit accused the Attorney General of engaging in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination by attempting to chill the free speech of pro-life organizations regarding abortion pill reversal.
Judge Sinatra ruled that under the First Amendment, the plaintiffs have the right to speak about abortion pill reversal. The judge added that a preliminary injunction against AG James “‘serves the public interest by allowing women to access and receive information that may lead to saving the lives of their unborn children.’” Judge Sinatra’s ruling is a preliminary one that will remain in effect as the plaintiffs’ lawsuit proceeds.
The plaintiffs are represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Caleb Dalton, senior counsel at ADF, commented, “‘Women in New York have literally saved their babies from an in-progress chemical drug abortion because they had access to information through their local pregnancy centers about using safe and effective progesterone for abortion pill reversal. But the attorney general tried to deny women the opportunity to even hear about this life-saving option.’”
New York Families Foundation thanks ADF, NIFLA, Gianna’s House, and Options Care Center for bravely standing for life, for truth, and for free speech.
For more information about abortion pill reversal, please click here or call the Abortion Pill Reversal Helpline at 1-877-558-0333.
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR PRO-LIFE WORK WITH A GENEROUS DONATION TODAY!
The post NY Pregnancy Centers Win Round One Against AG Letitia James appeared first on New York Families Foundation.
“}]]
