Escondido Anti-Abortion Clinic Sues California AG’s Office Over ‘Abortion Pill Reversal’ Lawsuits

An Escondido-based anti-abortion clinic filed a federal lawsuit this week against the California Attorney General’s Office, which sued anti-abortion groups last year for forwarding misleading claims regarding a medically discredited procedure known as “abortion pill reversal.”

The lawsuit filed Tuesday on behalf of Culture of Life Family Services alleges that California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office “is targeting protected speech and activities” through its litigation against groups marketing the practice.

The clinic, which states on its website that it provides “Christ- centered medical care and pregnancy clinic services,” is headed by Dr. George Delgado, who is credited with founding the abortion pill reversal procedure, sometimes abbreviated as APR.

APR proponents say that after a pregnant woman takes mifepristone with aims of terminating a pregnancy, she can counteract its effects by taking the hormone progesterone within 72 hours.

But Bonta’s office accurately says there isn’t any scientific evidence to support abortion pill reversal’s efficacy or safety.

Last fall, the California Attorney General’s Office sued a chain of Northern California pregnancy centers and national anti-abortion group Heartbeat International for promoting APR.

Bonta’s office said the organizations used “fraudulent and misleading claims” to advertise APR, which it called “an unproven and largely experimental procedure” that presents potential health risks for patients who undergo the treatment.

The scientific community supports the state’s conclusion.

Culture of Life Family Services’ lawsuit seeks to block the state A.G.’s office from filing similar suits against organizations providing APR.

“Attorney General Rob Bonta refuses to recognize a woman’s right to reverse an abortion in progress when she has changed her mind about the procedure,” said Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, a law firm that frequently files lawsuits on behalf of conservative causes.

“Abortion Pill Reversal gives these women a second chance to choose life, a choice that Bonta and the abortion industry would strip from her.”

Delgado was also a plaintiff in another case challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone and seeking to remove access to the drug.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue and threw out the lawsuit.

City News Service contributed to this report.