A coalition of anti-abortion groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against New York Attorney General Letitia James on the grounds she attempted to prevent Christian pregnancy centers from promoting an "abortion pill reversal" drug, The Washington Examiner reported.
The centers are represented by Thomas More Society, a Roman Catholic public interest law firm based in Chicago.
The faith-based centers have accused James of engaging in a "witch hunt" after sending out a "Notice of Proposed Litigation" letter on April 22 to various New York-based crisis pregnancy centers. The letters warn the centers that the Attorney General's office "intends to seek injunctive relief, restitution, damages, civil penalties, auditing" due to "persistent misleading statements" in the advertising of the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) protocol."
The APR procedure is when a woman has changed her mind about aborting a pregnancy after taking mifepristone, a drug that is used to end a pregnancy. APR patients then take progesterone to nullify the effects of mifepristone.
While the Abortion Pill Rescue Network claims APR has a 64%-68% success rate, neither the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists nor the FDA have endorsed the procedure.
"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," said Peter Breen, Thomas More Society Executive vice president and head of litigation.
"Defendant James has no business butting into the intimate medical decision of an expectant mother, in consultation with the medical professional of her choice, to carry her pregnancy to term and save her unborn baby from the disastrous effects of mifepristone while there is still time to undo the effects of that powerful chemical," the lawsuit reads.
The president of Heartbeat International, Jor-El Godsey said "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," Godsey added.