Pro-life pregnancy centers take NY attorney general to court for withholding life-saving info from women

WHO: Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys; Jessie Andersen, executive director of Options Care Center; Anne O’Connor, vice president of legal services at National Institute of Family and Life Advocates

WHAT: Available for media interviews following oral arguments in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. James

WHEN: Immediately following hearing, which begins at 10:30 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Aug. 15

WHERE: U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York, 2 Niagara Square, Buffalo. To schedule an interview, contact ADF Media Relations Manager Bernadette Tasy at (480) 356-0324.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys representing two nonprofit pro-life pregnancy centers and a nonprofit network of affiliated centers will be available for media interviews Thursday following oral arguments at federal district court in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. James.

The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Gianna’s House, and Options Care Center are suing New York Attorney General Letitia James for abusing her authority by censoring pro-life pregnancy centers because they tell women about the option of using progesterone for abortion pill reversal. Progesterone is a safe and naturally occurring hormone that can often be successfully used to counteract the life-ending effects of abortion drugs when taken in time.

“Women in New York have saved their babies because they had access to information about Abortion Pill Reversal through their local pregnancy centers. But the attorney general is denying women the opportunity to even hear about this life-saving option,” said ADF Senior Counsel Caleb Dalton, who will be arguing before the court. “Many women regret their abortions, and some seek to stop the effects of abortion drugs before taking the second drug in the abortion drug process. Taking supplemental progesterone may give them a chance to save their baby’s life. Women should have the option to reconsider an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform them about that choice. We are urging the court to affirm the pregnancy centers’ freedom to tell interested women about this life-saving treatment option.”

James recently sued 11 faith-based pro-life pregnancy centers and a network of affiliated centers in the state, alleging—despite evidence to the contrary—that the centers are spreading “false and misleading” information about this progesterone treatment. She is unlawfully targeting pro-life pregnancy centers, threatening punishment for promoting and offering a service that gives women the option of changing their minds regarding their pregnancies.

The pregnancy centers wish to truthfully inform women who have taken the first abortion drug that it may be possible to counteract its lethal effects if they change their mind and seek treatment within the first few days of taking the first drug. But their truthful speech about the progesterone treatment is chilled by the attorney general’s politically motivated lawsuit targeting similar speech.

Multiple studies support the information the centers wish to provide women. The body uses progesterone naturally to sustain pregnancy, and medical professionals have used it for decades to prevent miscarriage and forestall preterm labor safely and effectively. Statistics show that abortion pill reversal has likely saved over 5,000 unborn lives and has a 64-68% success rate. Yet the attorney general has targeted centers that tell women about this option because of the centers’ pro-life viewpoints and the content of their speech. ADF attorneys explain in the lawsuit that such actions from a government official violate the pregnancy centers’ First Amendment right to speak freely and practice their religious beliefs.

Michael G. McCartin and Denis Kitchen, two of more than 4,800 attorneys in the ADF Attorney Network, are serving as local counsel on behalf of the pregnancy centers.

Alliance Defending Freedom is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, and the sanctity of life.

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