Hudson Valley centers among those named in AG lawsuit

New York Attorney General Letitia James has filed a lawsuit against the anti-abortion group Heartbeat International and 11 pro-life organizations throughout New York state including in the Hudson Valley.

James charges that the defendants have been using false and misleading statements to advertise an unproven treatment they call “Abortion Pill Reversal (APR).” They promote a hormone-based procedure that they say will reverse the effects of the abortion-inducing drug mifepristone and allow a pregnancy to continue.

According to James, abortion cannot be “reversed,” and there is a glaring lack of scientific evidence to support APR’s safety and effectiveness. James said that the only clinical trial conducted to evaluate APR had to be halted due to concerns about patient safety. She said that major medical associations, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have cautioned that APR is not backed by science and does not meet clinical standards.

Among the organizations named in the lawsuit are Crisis Pregnancy Center, Inc. d/b/a Care Net Pregnancy Center of the Hudson Valley in Poughkeepsie in Dutchess County and 1st Way Life Center, Inc. in Monticello in Sullivan County.

James alleges that making false and misleading claims about APR to convince pregnant women to get the treatment constitutes fraud, deceptive business practices, and false advertising under New York law, specifically Executive Law 63(12) and sections 349 and 350 of the General Business Law.

.“Abortions cannot be reversed. Any treatments that claim to do so are made without scientific evidence and could be unsafe,” James said. “Heartbeat International and the other crisis pregnancy center defendants are spreading dangerous misinformation by advertising ‘abortion reversals’ without any medical and scientific proof. Amid the increase in attacks on reproductive health care nationwide, we must protect pregnant people’s right to make safe, well-informed decisions about their health.”

James’ lawsuit seeks an order requiring the removal of all false and misleading claims in marketing materials and prohibiting further violations. Attorney General James also is seeking the payment of civil penalties for violations of the law.