Pro-Life Centers Fight Back Against AG James’ Censorship Push
In a contentious legal fight, New York Attorney General Letitia James is pushing to stop pro-life pregnancy centers from promoting a treatment called abortion pill reversal (APR), which uses progesterone to potentially undo the effects of the abortion drug Mifepristone. Liberty Counsel, a legal group defending these centers, filed a brief with the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals in the case National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. James, arguing that the state’s actions amount to censorship and violate free speech rights.
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Last August, a federal judge blocked New York from using business fraud laws to silence 11 pregnancy centers offering APR, a protocol that data suggests has saved over 6,000 babies with a success rate of 64-68%. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. ruled that restricting speech about APR “casts a chill” on the First Amendment, affirming the centers’ right “to speak freely about [the] APR protocol.” James, however, is appealing, claiming APR is “unproven” and that ads for it spread “misinformation.” In a May 2024 press release, she stated bluntly, “Abortions cannot be reversed.”
Weaponization of Fraud Laws
Liberty Counsel calls this a “weaponization” of fraud laws to target pro-life views, noting that many centers offer APR for free. “The context makes clear that [James] is engaging in both content- and viewpoint-based discrimination,” the group wrote, accusing her of rejecting the centers’ Christian, pro-life stance. They argue the state wants to strip mothers of the choice to save their babies after taking Mifepristone, while preserving the choice to abort.
APR involves progesterone, a hormone naturally produced in pregnancy and used for decades to prevent miscarriages. Dr. William Lile, a board-certified OB-GYN, told Liberty Counsel it’s “bio-identical” and “as natural as it can possibly be.” He’s reversed abortions 15 out of 19 times—a 78% success rate—and says the protocol has worked thousands of times nationwide. If administered within 72 hours of Mifepristone, progesterone can “outcompete” the drug, which blocks the hormone to end a pregnancy.
Growing Evidence of Efficacy
Critics, including James, question APR’s efficacy, but supporters point to growing evidence. A 2018 study in Issues in Law & Medicine reported a 68% success rate, though some medical groups like the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists remain skeptical, calling for more research.
Liberty Counsel’s Mat Staver said, “The abortion pill reversal protocol gives a woman a chance to save her unborn baby by safely reversing an abortion. New York’s attempt to censor life-saving treatment by weaponizing business fraud laws is blatantly unconstitutional and should be permanently struck down.” As the appeal unfolds, the case could set a precedent for free speech and reproductive choice nationwide.
