Press Release
Heartbeat International Statement on the Second Chance at Life Act of 2025
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September 19, 2025
Columbus, OH — Heartbeat International and Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) applaud efforts to ensure women receive complete and accurate information before making a life-altering decision. The Second Chance at Life Act of 2025 is aimed at ensuring women are empowered with knowledge—not only about abortion—but also about the possibility of reversing a chemical abortion, if they change their minds.
Every woman deserves to know all her options. Research and thousands of real-life stories prove that in-progress chemical abortions are not always final. Through the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, statistics show more than 7,000 lives have been saved when women, after taking the first abortion pill, realized they wanted a second chance to choose life.
Behind each number is a family, a story, and a child who is alive today because his or her mother had the courage to seek help and the opportunity to be fully informed:
- “I don’t know where I’d be without [my son],” said Shashana, who encourages other women to “take a leap of faith because you never know where it’s going to lead you – it could be that door you need.”
- Sarah, whose son Isaiah was saved through the reversal process, shared, “I wanted to try whatever I could to reverse the worst decision I had made… I have never been more grounded in my faith, nor blessed.”
- Cassidy remembers the turning point when she heard her baby’s heartbeat after beginning Abortion Pill Reversal: “The entire room filled with joy, and it was such a magical moment that changed everything for me. The Abortion Pill Reversal not only saved my child’s life but saved [my life] as well.”
Heartbeat International and the Abortion Pill Rescue Network strongly support efforts like the Second Chance at Life Act of 2025 that prioritize transparency, informed consent, and above all, a woman’s right to know the truth. Women deserve nothing less.
Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International, said, “We are deeply grateful to Rep. Pfluger for his leadership in introducing this bill and to the co-sponsors standing with him in this effort. By ensuring women are informed about the possibility of Abortion Pill Reversal, Congress is affirming that every woman deserves the chance to make a fully informed choice — including the choice to save her child’s life and continue her pregnancy.”
For more information about Abortion Pill Reversal, visit AbortionPillReversal.com
Heartbeat Applauds Federal Court Block on Colorado’s Abortion Pill Reversal Ban
Aug. 4, 2025
COLUMBUS — Heartbeat International, which manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), celebrates a landmark federal court ruling that permanently blocks Colorado’s attempt to ban Abortion Pill Reversal (APR). The decision affirms the right of women to receive progesterone treatment when seeking to reverse the effects of a chemical abortion and continue their pregnancies.
The ruling came in Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser, in which a Catholic healthcare clinic in Colorado challenged the 2023 state law that labeled APR as “unprofessional conduct.” Under a preliminary injunction, Bella Health & Wellness was able to continue offering APR—and since that time, at least 16 babies have been born as a result. On Friday, the court made that protection permanent.
“This ruling affirms what we see every day: women deserve real choices,” said Christa Brown, BSN, RN, and Executive Director of the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network. “When a woman regrets starting a chemical abortion, she should never be forced to complete it against her will. Abortion Pill Reversal gives her hope and a second chance—and this decision ensures that hope is not silenced. It’s a victory for life, for freedom, and most of all, for women.”
Through Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue Network, more than 1,400 medical professionals, hospitals, and pregnancy help organizations worldwide are available to help women reverse the effects of the first abortion pill using progesterone, a hormone safely used in pregnancy for decades.
“This is a tremendous victory not just for one clinic in Colorado, but for every woman who wants to choose life after starting a chemical abortion,” said Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International. “Heartbeat applauds the courage of Bella Health and Wellness and the court’s recognition that women should never be denied care because of politics. Women deserve the right to continue their pregnancies—and our network stands ready to help them.”
Statistics show that Abortion Pill Reversal has saved over 7,000 children to date, offering women a second chance when they’ve had second thoughts.
Abortion Pill Rescue® Network Surpasses 7,000 Lives Saved Despite Legal Attacks and Big Tech Censorship
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June 23, 2025
Columbus, OH — Heartbeat International is celebrating a major milestone: statistics now show more than 7,000 lives have been saved through the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), the most effective response to chemical abortion.
The APRN connects women who regret taking the first abortion pill (mifepristone) with a network of medical professionals prepared to administer an emergency protocol designed to reverse the effects of the first abortion pill. This life-saving protocol has given thousands of mothers a second chance to choose life for their children.
“This is a milestone of hope,” said Christa Brown, executive director of the APRN. “Statistics show more than 7,000 lives have been saved—each one representing a woman who found the courage to reverse course and continue her pregnancy, often in the face of fear, isolation, and pressure.”
The announcement comes at a time when chemical abortion is under increased scrutiny. A new Ethics & Public Policy Center (EPPC) report released in April details the heightened risk of adverse events caused by mifepristone, the first drug in the abortion pill regimen. The report outlines serious safety concerns for women, reinforcing the need for greater awareness of options like Abortion Pill Reversal (APR).
“Chemical abortion drugs are being marketed as simple and safe, but the reality is far more dangerous,” said Jor-El Godsey, Heartbeat International president. “Women deserve the truth—and they deserve to know that there is a way to reverse the effects of mifepristone and save their child’s life if they act quickly.”
The APRN milestone is all the more remarkable given the sustained efforts to silence the program. Heartbeat International has faced lawsuits regarding Abortion Pill Reversal from pro-abortion politicians aimed at shutting down its life-saving work, algorithmic suppression by platforms like Google and Yelp, and advertising bans across social media.
Yet despite these obstacles, mothers in crisis continue to find the APRN—whether online, through word of mouth or trusted referrals from local pregnancy help centers.
In fact, call volume to the Abortion Pill Reversal hotline has increased every month since November, underscoring the growing demand for this vital service and the deep desire among women to seek a second chance at choosing life.
Chemical abortion has now become the most common method of abortion in the United States. The APRN represents the leading solution for women seeking to save their pregnancies after taking the first abortion pill.
“We give all glory to God for this milestone,” Brown said. “And we’re grateful for our network of courageous healthcare providers and the pregnancy help organizations who offer women compassion and clarity when they need it most.”
To learn more about the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network, visit HBI.Life/APR.
Heartbeat: Trump pro-life pardons ‘right the wrongs’ of Biden admin
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Jan. 23, 2025
WASHINGTON — Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey issues the following statement in response to news President Donald Trump has pardoned 23 pro-life activists targeted by the Biden Justice Department under the FACE Act:
“When pro-lifers are unfairly targeted, and punished excessively, for their peaceful protests, then presidential pardons are a must. We are grateful for President Trump’s effort to right the wrongs of the activist Biden administration.”
? BREAKING: President Donald J. Trump grants pardons to peaceful pro-life protesters prosecuted by the Biden administration over exercising their First Amendment rights. pic.twitter.com/XwzU4dEJt8
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) January 23, 2025
Abortion Pill Reversal has Saved 6,000 Lives Despite Big Abortion’s Attempts to Discredit Science Behind it
Nov. 20, 2024
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heartbeat International is proud to announce that statistics show more than 6,000 lives have been saved through the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN), a remarkable milestone achieved even amidst intense opposition. While abortion activists deny the effectiveness of Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) and some state attorneys general have sought to discredit or silence this life-saving network, thousands of children are alive today because their mothers chose hope and sought help.
All major studies show that using progesterone to counteract an in-progress chemical abortion can be effective. Progesterone is bio-identical to the hormone a woman’s body naturally produces to sustain pregnancy, and it has been safely used with pregnant women and their babies since the 1950s. To date, statistics show over 6,000 women have had successful abortion pill reversals, and that number grows higher every day.
These 6,000 children—enough to fill 200 kindergarten classrooms—represent lives that the world once counted as abortion statistics. Now they thrive and are loved and adored by their families.
“Today we celebrate 6,000 children, all made perfectly in the image of our God!” said Christa Brown, Senior Director of Medical Impact for Heartbeat International. “Imagine what our world would have lost if just one of them were not here. We are thankful for each of them and their brave mothers who, at one point, felt there was no other way and sadly started an abortion. Quickly, with deep regret, they realized the value of the life they carried and wanted a new plan—and the APRN was there to help.”
The success of Abortion Pill Reversal relies on science and the compassionate care of the APRN's dedicated network of nurses, physicians, and pharmacists. When a woman takes the first pill in a chemical abortion regimen (mifepristone), the process can be interrupted by administering progesterone, allowing the pregnancy to continue. This reversal treatment is backed by decades of safe use of progesterone for pregnancy-related complications.
Despite this, abortion activists and some public officials continue to question abortion pill reversal, even taking legal actions against Heartbeat International and some pregnancy help organizations in an attempt to block access to help for women who regret starting a chemical abortion. However, these efforts have not deterred the network from answering calls for help in all 50 states and 93 countries.
“Each life is precious and filled with promise and potential that, if not for the expedient work of the APRN, might not have had that second chance,” said Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International. “What a joy to celebrate this milestone of so many lives saved that they would overflow a concert hall!”
For the mothers who call the APRN, the opportunity for reversal is more than just a medical intervention—it is an act of redemption. Many express profound gratitude for the network that gave them a second chance to choose life.
For more information about the Abortion Pill Rescue Network or to learn how you can support this work, visit HBI.Life/APRN.
Diapers for Life: Heartbeat International Hosts a Drive to Support New Mothers in Need
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heartbeat International is proud to announce the partnership with EveryLife, the first and only pro-life diaper company, to launch a diaper drive dedicated to supporting mothers in need in states where abortion is on the ballot. The drive will run from October 4-7, providing ways for individuals to tangibly support the pro-life movement and help new families flourish.
To provide essential supplies to struggling families, Heartbeat International will facilitate a donation process where supporters can contribute $55 for a box of diapers and wipes. This donation provides a month's supply of diapers and wipes to mothers who chose life for their babies.
We are proud to collaborate with eight state pregnancy help coalitions to provide key baby supplies for families throughout the nation over four impactful days. These state coalitions include:
- Arkansas Pregnancy Network
- Colorado Pregnancy Care Alliance
- Florida Pregnancy Care Network
- Maryland Coalition of Medical Pregnancy Clinics
- Alliance for Life (MO)
- Women's Health Network (MT)
- The New York State Coalition for Life
- Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative
With a goal to provide boxes to 1,000 moms in these vital states, Heartbeat will cover $50 of each order to further its mission to reach and empower those in need.
"We are thrilled to partner with EveryLife once again to promote a campaign that empowers individuals to support life," Heartbeat International president Jor-El Godsey said. " This initiative not only raises crucial funds but also strengthens our network of pregnancy help for families during critical times, specifically in states where abortion is on the ballot this year. "
Join us from October 4-7, 2024, to make a meaningful impact on the lives of families and children. Together, we can champion the cause of life and move toward a future where abortion becomes unthinkable.
Donations for the Diaper Drive can be made here.
Press inquiries for Heartbeat International can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Heartbeat International on Planned Parenthood's Free Vasectomies and Chemical Abortion Pills During the DNC
August 19, 2024
Heartbeat International
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — In what can only be described as a desperate publicity stunt, Planned Parenthood is giving away free abortions and vasectomies this week in honor of the Democratic National Convention (DNC). This appalling move highlights how far Big Abortion is willing to go to prioritize its extreme agenda over the health and well-being of women, men, and the next generation.
"How little must Planned Parenthood think of the DNC-goers to assume they do or will need free abortions," said Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International. "Not to mention the future of the party that so easily dispenses with what would be its next generation. Extremists like this at the DNC can only expect the same kind of extreme abortion policies from its political candidates."
The irony of Planned Parenthood’s actions during a political convention where the future of the country is discussed cannot be overstated. Their “abortion on wheels” approach not only cheapens the very notion of healthcare but also underscores the tragedy of treating human life as disposable. Women deserve better than this kind of reckless and unsafe spectacle, which places headlines and attention over genuine care.
Unlike Planned Parenthood’s publicity-driven antics, pregnancy help organizations quietly and consistently offer free care and practical support for women facing unexpected pregnancies. We do this, not for attention or media coverage, but because it’s the right thing to do. While Big Abortion uses stunts to push its agenda, we remain focused on offering real help and hope to those who need it most.
As the DNC continues to align itself with such extreme positions, it's clear that the well-being of women and children takes a backseat to political gains. The fact that the DNC has enabled and embraced this kind of display only highlights how entrenched abortion extremism is within their platform.
Here we come, Chicago! ? Our mobile health clinic will be in the West Loop with @ChiAbortionFund & @TheWienerCircle Aug 19-20, providing FREE vasectomies & medication abortion. EC will also be available for free without an appointment.
— Planned Parenthood Great Rivers (@ppgreatrivers) August 14, 2024
Reserve your spot: https://t.co/AVCDTg2FAj pic.twitter.com/6C5oFuXacU
Preserving Human Dignity: Heartbeat Calls for the GOP to Uphold Protections for the Unborn in the 2024 Platform
Heartbeat International
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Republican Party’s 2024 draft platform represents a troubling departure from its longstanding tradition of affirming the inherent dignity of every human being, including the unborn child. This shift has caused deep concern among pregnancy help organizations across the nation.
Since the 1980s—almost as long as the pregnancy help movement in the United States has existed—the Republican Party platform has proclaimed the timeless moral principle that all human lives, from the moment of conception, have irreplaceable value. Importantly, this call to protect innocent life under both state and federal law has ensured that any public policy discussion of abortion fully recognizes abortion’s harm to mom, dad, AND child.
For over 50 years, pregnancy help organizations—now numbering 3,000 medical clinics, resource centers, and maternity homes nationwide—have offered compassionate care to women navigating an unexpected pregnancy so they can be empowered to embrace a healthier choice than abortion. Our mission is based upon recognition of the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception. Serving nearly 1 million families annually, our network of pregnancy help offers free services and long-term relational support that gives parents hope-filled futures with their children.
Today, 2 out of 3 abortions are administered through abortion pills. With unregulated chemical abortion expanding exponentially and ravaging our communities, now is the time to affirm and redouble our commitment to life. We call on Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley and the GOP Platform Committee to hold fast to the Republican Party’s legacy of cherishing human dignity.
We stand in agreement with the Minority Report submitted to the GOP Platform Committee by platform delegates, which calls for amendments to the current draft platform to include protections for the unborn and encourages life-affirming alternatives to abortion. It is imperative that the Republican Party uphold its historical commitment to the dignity of all human life by ensuring that these essential protections are maintained in the 2024 platform. Only by embracing this legacy can we truly foster a nation that values every individual, born and unborn, and provides a hopeful future for all.
While we will always remain committed to supporting every woman with practical care and alternatives to abortion, we call now on the party of Lincoln to declare boldly what is self-evident: that every person from the moment of conception is exceptional, valuable, and worth protecting. Only when we have American leadership determined to count all people—including the most vulnerable amongst us—as part of the American family can our nation truly thrive.
To add your name to a petition calling on the Republican Platform to retain its longstanding positions protecting life, click here.
Heartbeat on SCOTUS EMTALA ruling: states left with more questions than answers about their power to protect mothers and their children
Heartbeat International
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heartbeat International releases the following statement in response to the news Thursday that the United States Supreme Court will allow doctors in Idaho to continue performing emergency abortions despite state restrictions.
Danielle White, Esq., general counsel for Heartbeat International:
“Today’s decision leaves us with more questions than answers. The Court did not settle the question of whether states are required to adopt a broad and sweeping view of EMTALA that leaves them effectively powerless to protect mothers and their unborn children from elective abortion – a question which may very well come back to the Court at another time. Heartbeat and its affiliates stand ready to provide compassionate support and life-affirming alternatives to women, ensuring that both mothers and their unborn children receive the care and love they deserve. Our goal is to make abortion not only unwanted today but unthinkable for future generations.”
Press inquiries for Heartbeat International can be sent to Press@JDAWorldwide.com.
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Heartbeat International is the largest network of life-affirming pregnancy help in the world, with over 3,500 affiliated locations in 90 countries. Heartbeat's mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
Website | HeartbeatInternational.org | Facebook | /HeartbeatInternational | Twitter | @HeartbeatIntl
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Heartbeat: SCOTUS did not rule mifepristone is safe – because it cannot
Heartbeat International
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COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heartbeat International releases the following statements in response to news Thursday that the United States Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit challenging FDA approval of the abortion drug mifepristone.
Jor-El Godsey, president of Heartbeat International:
“The Supreme Court has denied women justice today. Women are more vulnerable than ever to shoddy research, predatory abortion practices, and extreme political ideology. The FDA has been rewarded for its bad behavior in expanding abortion while rolling back even common sense protections.”
Christa Brown, senior director of medical impact at Heartbeat International:
“Those who prescribe and sell abortion drugs — sometimes through telehealth or websites — step aside when adverse events occur and women are abandoned to manage their own systems. We know that one in 25 women require emergency care after consuming mifepristone. The consequence is that healthcare professionals on the frontlines in emergency departments throughout the U.S. are forced to care for those who require emergency care and surgery after taking mifepristone.”
Danielle White, Esq., general counsel at Heartbeat International:
“The Court did not say today that mifepristone is safe for women, because indeed it could not. Chemical abortion hurts women, and the FDA needs to be held accountable for its blatant disregard for women’s health and safety.”
Press inquiries for Heartbeat International can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Heartbeat International is the largest network of life-affirming pregnancy help in the world, with over 3,500 affiliated locations in 90 countries. Heartbeat's mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
Website | HeartbeatInternational.org | Facebook | /HeartbeatInternational | Twitter | @HeartbeatIntl
Heartbeat International & pregnancy ministry collective sue New York Attorney General to block threatened prosecution
Thomas More Society backs pregnancy help organizations in lawsuit to protect Abortion Pill Reversal
Press Release: JDA Worldwide for Heartbeat International
April 30, 2024
Heartbeat International & pregnancy ministry collective sue New York Attorney General to block threatened prosecution
Heartbeat International
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Thomas More Society backs pregnancy help organizations in lawsuit to protect Abortion Pill Reversal
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and a collective of pregnancy help organizations — represented by Thomas More Society — are suing to block imminent, ruinous legal action threatened by New York Attorney General Letitia James against pro-life ministries that offer and/or promote Abortion Pill Reversal (APR). On April 30, Thomas More Society attorneys filed a verified complaint in the Supreme Court of New York against James, outlining how her threatened prosecution and intimidation of pregnancy help organizations violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the United States Constitution, the New York Constitution and state civil rights law.
On April 22, James’ office sent “Notice of Intention to Sue” threat letters to at least a dozen pregnancy help organizations that offer or share information about the APR protocol. James’ threat letter falsely accuses the targeted pregnancy help organizations of “repeated and persistent misleading statements and omissions.” In their filing today, Thomas More Society clearly lays out why the organizations’ communications about APR are truthful and, even more, fully protected under the First Amendment. The threat letters gave these pro-life ministries only five business days to explain why James should not sue them for false advertising — their lawsuit is the response to those notices.
Thomas More Society attorneys are requesting court intervention against the Attorney General’s threatened legal action, to safeguard the constitutional rights of Heartbeat International and the collective of pregnancy help organizations — many of which are part of Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue® Network, or otherwise provide information about APR. At its core, James’ threatened litigation seeks to illegally silence Heartbeat International and its network member organizations from sharing their science-based, life-affirming message about the benefits, success, effectiveness and safety of APR.
Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation, said:
“This is a political witch-hunt against small nonprofits that have selflessly served New York’s pregnant women and their children for over 50 years. Letitia James should be heralding these charities, not launching outrageously false claims against them under laws that don’t apply to their noncommercial speech. For decades, doctors have been prescribing supplemental progesterone for pregnant women at serious risk for miscarriage—but because this safe and long-established practice may actually reverse abortions, ideologues like Letitia James now want to squelch it. Ms. James’ Notices of Intention to Sue are a transparent attempt to harass small pro-life charities into silence, targeting her political opponents because of their beliefs, in flagrant violation of the First Amendment. We will fight back as long as it takes against Ms. James’ efforts to jeopardize the Christian and life-affirming missions of Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and all similar pro-life ministries in the State of New York.”
Jor-El Godsey, President of Heartbeat International, stated:
“New York State laws protect abortionists and abortion on demand up until birth. Now they are targeting those who assist a woman in exercising her right to continue her own pregnancy. It is unconscionable to see the abortion industry and its paid-for politicians go so far as to insist she complete an abortion she no longer wants.”
Rev. Jim Harden, CEO of CompassCare, declared:
“The actions of the New York Attorney General should be a major red flag for all Americans, wherever they stand in the abortion debate. Conspiring to violate the constitutional rights of the politically disfavored sets an ominous precedent and, if allowed to stand, will only serve to dismantle American rule of law.”
Kathy Jerman, Executive Director of New Hope Family Services & President of NYS Coalition for Life, added:
“If we truly believe that women should have a choice in her pregnancy decision, then she should also have the choice to reconsider her abortion after taking the first chemical abortion pill. The NY Attorney General is falsely accusing our centers of sharing misinformation with our clients about this life-saving protocol. It is simply not true. Abortion Pill Reversal gives women a second chance to choose life.”
Read the Verified Complaint in Heartbeat International, et al. v. Letitia James, filed by Thomas More Society attorneys on behalf of Heartbeat International and its Abortion Pill Rescue® Network and clients, on April 30, 2024, in the Supreme Court of the State of New York – Monroe Country, here.
Read a representative “Notice of Intention to Sue” letter dated April 22, 2024, sent from the State of New York Office of the Attorney General threatening litigation for alleged “repeated and persistent misleading statements and omissions in the advertising of the Abortion Pill Reversal protocol,” this one addressed to CompassCare Pregnancy Services, here.
Visit the Thomas More Society case page for documents, updates, and details, here.
Press inquiries for Heartbeat International can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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Heartbeat International is the largest network of life-affirming pregnancy help in the world, with over 3,500 affiliated locations in 90 countries. Heartbeat's mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
Website | HeartbeatInternational.org | Facebook | /HeartbeatInternational | Twitter | @HeartbeatIntl
Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and freedom. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices across the country, Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, please visit thomasmoresociety.org.
Heartbeat International & pregnancy ministry collective sue New York Attorney General to block threatened prosecution
Thomas More Society backs pregnancy help organizations in lawsuit to protect Abortion Pill Reversal
Press Release: JDA Worldwide for Heartbeat International
April 30, 2024
Heartbeat International Fights Back Against California’s Attempt to Force Women to Abort Their Babies
Heartbeat International
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Thomas More Society inquiries: Tom Ciesielka, 312.422.1333, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Thomas More Society Attorneys Ask Court to Throw Out AG Rob Bonta’s Lawsuit
(February 6, 2024 – Oakland, California) Today, Thomas More Society attorneys asked a California Superior Court to throw out the lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics, over their advocacy for “Abortion Pill Reversal,” the medical intervention provided to women who decide to reverse their in-progress chemical abortions. The hundreds of pages of argument and evidence represent the most comprehensive legal counterattack by the pro-life movement against recent legal maneuvers by state government officials like Bonta who are trying to interfere with and stop the efforts of pregnancy centers to help women who regret and want to reverse their chemical abortions.
Heartbeat International, an international network of thousands of pregnancy centers, provides referrals to medical providers for women who are seeking to reverse their chemical abortions through its Abortion Pill Rescue® Network, which is the target of Bonta’s lawsuit, along with the RealOptions pregnancy centers in California, which provide Abortion Pill Reversal services. Abortion Pill Reversal is the process of providing supplemental progesterone to counteract the anti-progesterone effects of the first pill (mifepristone) of the two-pill chemical abortion regimen.
“Women undergoing chemical abortions deserve the truth: even after starting a chemical abortion, they may still be able to save their babies,” remarked attorney Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation. “California and its Attorney General Rob Bonta are illegally and unconstitutionally seeking to rip away ‘choice’ from women in dire need by attacking pregnancy help ministries like Heartbeat and RealOptions, to shut down their promotion of Abortion Pill Reversal. Abortion Pill Reversal provides real hope for women who want to stop their abortions and continue their pregnancies. Today’s massive legal filings mark the most ambitious and broad-based counterattack by the pro-life movement against the efforts of state officials, like Rob Bonta, who intend to prevent women from accessing this potentially life-saving treatment option.”
Heartbeat International President Jor-El Godsey agrees:
“California should be more concerned with helping women who desperately want to continue their pregnancy,” stated Godsey. “Targeting women’s opportunity to reverse their abortion is an obvious act of misusing the goodwill of taxpayer funding to shill for Big Abortion.”
Bonta’s aggressive campaign to dismantle Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue Network and shut down RealOptions’ Abortion Pill Reversal services went public when he filed a Complaint for Permanent Injunction against both, along with 100 unnamed “Does,” on September 21, 2023, in the Alameda County Superior Court of California.
“Despite overwhelming evidence of Abortion Pill Reversal services’ safety and effectiveness, this lawsuit makes outrageously false claims against Heartbeat International and RealOptions,” explained Paul Jonna, Thomas More Society Special Counsel and Partner, LiMandri and Jonna LLP. “Attorney General Bonta’s lawsuit aims to hide life-saving information from women regarding Abortion Pill Reversal. This is a desperate attempt by Bonta to eliminate any competition to the well-funded abortion lobby with which he has proudly partnered throughout his political career.”
In their February 6, 2024, filings, Thomas More Society attorneys advance three main arguments:
(1) The First Amendment protects the advocacy efforts and information provided by Heartbeat and RealOptions to women about Abortion Pill Reversal.
(2) On Bonta’s claims, the Superior Court cannot decide a “battle of scientific experts” between Heartbeat’s scientific studies and Bonta’s competing studies on Abortion Pill Reversal.
(3) California’s Reproductive Privacy Act and its Constitution totally immunize Heartbeat and RealOptions, prohibiting Bonta from interfering with their aid and assistance to pregnant women who want to stop and reverse their chemical abortions.
Among the information provided to the Superior Court, Thomas More Society provided compelling evidence of the safety of supplemental progesterone for pregnant women and its effectiveness in countering the effects of mifepristone, the first pill of the two-pill chemical abortion regimen. In particular, progesterone has been safely used by obstetrician-gynecologists for decades to thwart potential miscarriage in pregnant women.
Read the Memoranda in support of Demurrers, on behalf of Heartbeat International and RealOptions, and of Motion to Quash Service, on behalf of Heartbeat International, filed February 6, 2024, by Thomas More Society attorneys in the Superior Court of the State of California – County of Alameda, in The People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International & RealOptions, here.
The complete collection of court documents filed February 6 is available here.
About Heartbeat International
Heartbeat International has been providing pro-life pregnancy resources since its inception in 1971. Today, it is the largest and most expansive network in the world with nearly 3,500 affiliated pregnancy help locations providing life-affirming alternatives to abortion. For more information, please visit heartbeatinternational.org.
About RealOptions
RealOptions Obria Medical Clinics is a non-profit 501(c)3 recognized for its quality of care since 1981. Providing caring, compassionate, high quality holistic healthcare with or without insurance, support services, optimal health education, and pregnancy loss healing to women, men, students, and families, RealOptions has five licensed medical clinic locations serving Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties devoted to caring for patients physically, emotionally, and spiritually. RealOptions offer a broad spectrum of prevention, intervention, and restorative services to the community positively impacting thousands of students and families in the Bay Area each year. For more information, please visit realoptions.net.
About Thomas More Society
Thomas More Society is a national not-for-profit law firm dedicated to restoring respect in law for life, family, and freedom. Headquartered in Chicago and with offices across the country, Thomas More Society fosters support for these causes by providing high quality pro bono legal services from local trial courts all the way up to the United States Supreme Court. For more information, please visit thomasmoresociety.org.
Heartbeat International responds to California AG's complaint against serving pregnant women
September 21, 2023
Heartbeat International
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(614) 885-7577
Heartbeat International responds to California AG’s complaint against serving pregnant women
Columbus, OH: Heartbeat International learned through interview requests that the California Attorney General is suing to block us from “advertising Abortion Pill Reversal as safe and effective.” We have not been served at this point.
Through our Abortion Pill Rescue Network hotline, we know that some women almost immediately regret their chemical abortion choice. These women deserve the right to try and save their pregnancies. No woman should ever be forced to complete an abortion she no longer wants.
All major studies show that using progesterone to counteract a chemical abortion (Abortion Pill Reversal) can be effective since it’s the very same hormone a woman’s body produces to sustain her pregnancy. One study even shows an effective rate of 80 percent. Progesterone has been safely used with pregnant women and their babies since the 1950s. To date, statistics show more than 4,500 women have had successful abortion pill reversals and that number grows higher each day.
To view some of the stories, go to https://www.heartbeatinternational.org/aprn-lives-saved
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If you feel so called, you can stand with us as we continue to push back against pro-abortion lies against the good work of pregnancy help. We know this will be a long battle, and we also have faith in the victory!
About Abortion Pill Rescue Network: Abortion pill reversal is a cutting-edge application of a time-tested, FDA-approved treatment used for decades to prevent miscarriage and preterm birth. It involves emergency, ongoing doses of progesterone to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill. From the moment a woman takes the abortion pill, she has about 72 hours to change her mind and save her baby. Statistics show that more than 4,500 lives have been saved (and counting) through the abortion pill reversal protocol.
If you or someone you know took the abortion pill and regret it, there may still be time. The Abortion Pill Reversal hotline provides free and confidential care 24/7. Call 877.558.0333 or go to www.AbortionPillReversal.com now. There may still be time to save your pregnancy.
About Heartbeat International: Heartbeat International is the largest network of pro-life pregnancy help in the world, with more than 3,400 affiliated locations in more than 90 countries. Heartbeat's mission is to Reach and Rescue as many lives as possible, around the world, through an effective network of life-affirming pregnancy help, to Renew communities for LIFE in order to achieve their vision of making abortion unwanted today and unthinkable for future generations.
