Springfield, IL - Yesterday, Thomas More Society attorneys won a major victory in the ongoing lawsuit People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International and RealOptions as an Illinois judge granted their motion to compel the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to produce key documents and communications related to Abortion Pill Reversal, a progesterone-based therapy that can counteract the effects of mifepristone.

The order compels ACOG to turn over records concerning its public statements opposing Abortion Pill Reversal (APR), as well as communications between ACOG and California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office relating to Bonta’s lawsuit. The subpoena, which ACOG must now answer, also requires them to turn over communications between the professional membership organization and two abortion researchers who constructed studies seeking to discredit APR.

The Illinois court’s ruling follows oral argument on the matter, during which Thomas More Society attorneys argued that ACOG’s statements were central to the California Attorney General’s politically motivated lawsuit against Heartbeat and RealOptions, which seeks to punish pro-life pregnancy centers for sharing information about APR which can potentially save unborn children after a woman begins a chemical abortion. Earlier discovery revealed that ACOG and State of California personnel strategized on APR messaging, and the Attorney General’s office conceded during argument that Bonta is relying on the ACOG statement to support his case.

“This is a crucial win for truth and transparency,” said Peter Breen, Executive Vice President and Head of Litigation at Thomas More Society. “For years, ACOG has issued sweeping, antagonistic, and misleading statements against Abortion Pill Reversal, which pro-abortion AGs like Rob Bonta have then used to attack pro-life pregnancy centers. The court’s discovery order means that ACOG will finally have to justify those statements and its coordination with California personnel to harm this life-saving treatment.”

Breen emphasized that the evidence sought in discovery is crucial to exposing how both the Attorney General’s Office and ACOG have attempted to suppress pro-life medical speech without scientific justification.

“ACOG is a powerful institution that claims to speak for our nation’s OB/GYNs,” Breen continued. “From that lofty perch, ACOG promotes abortion until birth and belittles the work of pro-life pregnancy centers. These centers deserve support for their charitable efforts to empower women and give mothers the chance to reverse their chemical abortions and choose life for themselves and their babies. With this new discovery from ACOG, we intend to defeat Bonta’s lawsuit and protect Heartbeat and our nation’s pregnancy centers to continue their good work.”

Thomas More Society represents Heartbeat International and RealOptions in defending their right to share truthful, life-affirming information about Abortion Pill Reversal. The lawsuit, filed by Bonta’s office in September 2023, alleges that Heartbeat and RealOptions engage in false and misleading speech in promoting the life-saving Abortion Pill Reversal treatment.  

The Order Granting Defendants’ Motion to Compel can be found here.

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Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons