A Planned Parenthood lawsuit challenging an Arizona law to inform women of the possibility that abortion drugs can be reversed was settled this week.
Planned Parenthood filed the lawsuit challenging the 2015 law last year; and this week, both sides in the lawsuit came to an agreement, ending the case, AZ Central reports.
In 2015, Arizona became the first state to require that women seeking abortions be told of the possibility that abortion drugs can be reversed, LifeNews reported. When a pregnant woman takes the dangerous RU 486 abortion pill, there is a chance that the abortion drug can be reversed if she changes her mind in time. Knowing that, legislators in Arizona put information in the bill that called for women to be informed that if they take the first drug of a two-step chemical abortion process, they may be able to stop the abortion process and deliver a healthy baby.
However, Planned Parenthood challenged the measure, calling it “junk science,” and got a court to block it before it went into effect.
Here’s more from the Phoenix New Times:
In October of last year, months before the law would have gone into effect, U.S. District Judge Steven Logan granted the plaintiffs’ request for an injunction, which put the law on hold until the case was decided.
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Supporters of the SB 1318 in the legislature apparently saw the writing on the wall and passed new legislation, SB 1112, that rescinded the mandate. [Pro-life Gov. Doug] Ducey signed that law as well.
Earlier this week, in what is being hailed as a victory for women’s health, the Arizona Attorney General’s Office backed out of the lawsuit, agreeing to “conclude” the case and put the matter to rest.
However, the state has not given up on informing women about the abortion pill reversal technology. Cathi Herrod, Esq., president of the pro-life Center for Arizona Policy, explained:
“Abortion defenders can spin a court technicality any way they wish but they cannot change the truth: Pregnant women in Arizona who regret taking the first of two abortion pills will get a chance to change their minds and save their pre-born babies.
“Lawmakers this year re-wrote Senate Bill 1318 requiring abortion doctors to inform regretful women that the first pill is as little as 20% effective – something Planned Parenthood admits in court but has hidden from women in the past. Abortion providers must also immediately refer the woman to a physician if she would like more information.
“Prior to the SB1318 re-write, abortion doctors didn’t have to say anything and in fact, didn’t, letting anguishing women believe there was no hope of saving their pre-born babies.
“Those who make millions of dollars a year in the abortion industry can question the abortion pill reversal (APR) science, but they have to answer to the mothers of at least 175 healthy babies born after they took the first abortion pill and then began the reversal process. They don’t have to look far; the first baby saved through APR [abortion pill reversal] started kindergarten today.
“Yes, the re-write of SB1318 is a victory for Arizona women and their pre-born babies.”
Though the abortion pill reversal technology is new, early results show it appears to be safe and effective for both mother and child. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reported in a practice bulletin that the abortion pill has not led to birth defects.
As currently administered, a chemical abortion involves taking the drug mifepristone, which makes the uterus inhospitable to new life and starves the baby. One or two days later, a second drug is taken to induce contractions and expel her child. The reversal process, which is gaining in usage as it becomes more widely known, can reverse the impact of the first drug and allow the baby to continue normal development. Time is of the essence, though, in starting the reversal process.
Dr. Matthew Harrison performed the first-ever reversal in 2007. At a press conference in 2015 sponsored by Priests for Life and the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Dr. Harrison said the baby who was saved is now a healthy and happy 8-year-old girl.
In 2015, Harrison and the team of OB-GYNs who are pioneering the technology reported more than 213 babies have been saved so far.
LifeNews Note: File photo.
