ADF to California: First Amendment Protects Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

Abortion is one of the deadliest and most tragic issues plaguing our country today. In 2023, over 179,000 unborn children were aborted in California alone.

Many women seeking abortions say they would have chosen life if they had had more support, and that is exactly what pro-life pregnancy centers in California seek to provide. In addition to ultrasounds, STI tests, training, and material support, many of these centers offer information about abortion pill reversal (APR), which can provide women an opportunity to save their children after taking the first of the abortion drugs.

But California Attorney General Rob Bonta is attempting to censor these pregnancy centers and prevent them from sharing important information with expectant mothers.

What is abortion pill reversal?

Chemical abortions typically involve women taking two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol. Some women quickly regret the decision to take mifepristone (or were forced to take it against their will) and change their minds about completing the abortion before taking misoprostol. APR provides these women with a chance to save their babies.

Mifepristone blocks naturally occurring progesterone in a woman’s body, which can cause the baby to detach from the uterus and starve him or her of nutrients. In the APR process, medical professionals prescribe women supplemental progesterone to compete with the mifepristone. Progesterone supplements have been used for decades to support high-risk pregnancies and have been used to effectively counter the effects of mifepristone in some scenarios.

While APR is not guaranteed to reverse the effects of abortion drugs, research shows it has a 64-68 percent success rate, and statistics indicate it has likely saved over 5,000 unborn children. Since progesterone is a hormone that pregnant women naturally produce, an appropriate prescription does not put women or their unborn children in danger.

Heartbeat International, a national network of pregnancy centers, provides women with information about APR, as does RealOptions Obria, a chain with five pregnancy centers in the state of California. But in September 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria for accurately stating that APR is a safe and effective process.

Pregnancy centers must be able to speak freely

In his lawsuit, Attorney General Bonta did not identify any customers who said they were misled or harmed by statements from Heartbeat International or RealOptions Obria about APR. Instead, the lawsuit appears to be an attempt to censor pro-life viewpoints and prevent women from learning about the option to save their babies after beginning the chemical abortion process.

The attorney general’s attempted censorship doesn’t just affect the defendants named in the lawsuit, either. It has a chilling effect on the speech of pregnancy centers, doctors, and others throughout the state who wish to speak about APR.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) is a national network of pregnancy centers with over 100 member centers in California, including SCV Pregnancy Center. Both NIFLA and SCV wish to provide women with important information about APR, but they are being forced to censor themselves for fear of government punishment.

If NIFLA and SCV Pregnancy Center continue speaking truthfully about APR, they are threatened with costly litigation, a misdemeanor charge, and civil penalties of up to $2,500 per statement.

The First Amendment prohibits government officials from censoring pregnancy centers for speaking the truth about life-saving care. So Alliance Defending Freedom filed a lawsuit against Attorney General Bonta.

Unfortunately, what is happening in California is not an isolated incident. ADF is also defending pro-life pregnancy centers in New York and Vermont against censorship efforts from government officials.

Pro-life pregnancy centers across the country should be free to serve women, men, and children without facing unjust harassment from the government.

National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Bonta

• September 2023: California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit against Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria after they spoke truthfully about abortion pill reversal.
• September 2024: ADF attorneys filed a lawsuit challenging the attorney general’s censorship on behalf of NIFLA and SCV Pregnancy Center.