Current:Home > MarketsNew York temporarily barred from taking action against groups for promoting abortion pill ‘reversal’-LoTradeCoin
New York temporarily barred from taking action against groups for promoting abortion pill ‘reversal’
View Date:2024-12-23 23:32:56
Citing free speech rights, a federal judge has temporarily blocked New York’s attorney general from taking enforcement action against certain pregnancy counseling centers for promoting what critics say is an unproven method to reverse medication abortions.
U.S. District Judge John Sinatra Jr. in Buffalo issued a preliminary injunction against state Attorney General Letitia James and her office on Thursday. The order says James’ office cannot take legal action against two centers and a related association while their lawsuit against James is pending in federal court.
The lawsuit accuses James of unfairly targeting anti-abortion groups because of their viewpoints, including their promotion of a protocol called the “Abortion Pill Reversal.” It cites a lawsuit James’ office filed in state court in May against another anti-abortion group and nearly a dozen other pregnancy counseling centers for promoting abortion medication reversals.
James’ case against the other groups follows a similar lawsuit in California and other legal action in states such as Colorado regarding unsubstantiated treatments to reverse medication abortions.
Medication abortion, the most common way to end a pregnancy, involves taking two different drugs — mifepristone and misoprostol — days apart.
James’ office says the anti-abortion groups are advising people who have taken mifepristone not to take the follow-up of misoprostol and instead receive repeated doses of the hormone progesterone.
James’ office says the treatment has not been approved by federal regulators, and major medical associations have warned that the protocol is unproven and unscientific.
Sinatra, nominated to the court in 2019 by then-President Donald Trump, a Republican, wrote in his decision that the First Amendment protects free speech, even when that speech contains false statements. He also said the two pregnancy counseling centers and related association are likely to prevail in their lawsuit against James.
The centers have a First Amendment right to “speak freely” about the reversal protocol and say it is safe and effective to use in consultation with a doctor, the judge said.
“Plaintiffs are irreparably harmed each day that their First Amendment freedoms are infringed,” Sinatra wrote.
He added the preliminary injunction “serves the public interest by allowing women to access and receive information that may lead to saving the lives of their unborn children.”
James’ office had opposed the preliminary injunction, calling it in court documents “a collateral attack” on the office’s pending lawsuit against the other pregnancy counseling centers. Her office also said it has authority to “enforce state protections against consumer fraud and false advertising.”
James’ office had no immediate comment on the injunction Friday.
The plaintiffs that sought the injunction include the National Institute for Family and Life Advocates and two of its member centers — Gianna’s House in Brewster north of New York City and Options Care Center in Jamestown in western New York. The Virginia-based anti-abortion group has member pregnancy counseling centers across the country, including 51 in New York.
The preliminary injunction only applies to those plaintiffs, and not the centers named in James’ lawsuit in state court.
Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative group representing the plaintiffs in court, hailed the judge’s ruling.
“Women in New York have literally saved their babies from an in-progress chemical drug abortion because they had access to information through their local pregnancy centers about using safe and effective progesterone for abortion pill reversal,” Caleb Dalton, the group’s senior counsel, said in a statement. “But the attorney general tried to deny women the opportunity to even hear about this life-saving option.”
In court documents, James’ office said there is no valid evidence that abortion pill reversal is safe or effective in increasing the chances of pregnancy, and that the use of progesterone in the process has never been approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
veryGood! (135)
Related
- 2 dead in explosion at Kentucky factory that also damaged surrounding neighborhood
- The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis and Why It Remains an Issue
- No Matter Who Wins, the US Exits the Paris Climate Accord the Day After the Election
- Idaho militia leader Ammon Bundy is due back in court. But will he show up?
- The Masked Singer's Ice King Might Be a Jonas Brother
- Solar Job Growth Hits Record High, Shows Economic Power of Clean Energy, Group Says
- Al Roker Makes Sunny Return to Today Show 3 Weeks After Knee Surgery
- Katrina Sparks a Revolution in Green Modular Housing
- Police identify 7-year-old child killed in North Carolina weekend shooting
- Ohio House Passes Bill to Roll Back Renewable Energy Standards, Again
Ranking
- Week 10 fantasy football rankings: PPR, half-PPR and standard leagues
- The Best Memorial Day 2023 You Can Still Shop Today: Wayfair, Amazon, Kate Spade, Nordstrom, and More
- Endometriosis, a painful and often overlooked disease, gets attention in a new film
- Queer Eye's Tan France Welcomes Baby No. 2 With Husband Rob France
- McDonald's Version: New Bestie Bundle meals celebrate Swiftie friendship bracelets
- Unchecked Global Warming Could Collapse Whole Ecosystems, Maybe Within 10 Years
- Carbon Tax and the Art of the Deal: Time for Some Horse-Trading
- OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush talks Titan sub's design, carbon fiber hull, safety and more in 2022 interviews
Recommendation
-
Shawn Mendes quest for self-discovery is a quiet triumph: Best songs on 'Shawn' album
-
American Climate Video: Hurricane Michael Intensified Faster Than Even Long-Time Residents Could Imagine
-
Iowa Republicans pass bill banning most abortions after about 6 weeks
-
Deaths from xylazine are on the rise. The White House has a new plan to tackle it
-
Rafael dissolves into a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico after hitting Cuba as a hurricane
-
Keystone XL Pipeline Hit with New Delay: Judge Orders Environmental Review
-
Elizabeth Holmes Begins 11-Year Prison Sentence in Theranos Fraud Case
-
This Amazon Maxi Dress Has 2,300+ Five-Star Ratings— & Reviewers Say It Fits Beautifully