California Attorney General Rob Bonta says he is confident the state will prevail in its lawsuit against two anti-abortion organizations accused of making false and misleading claims about “abortion pill reversal,” following the conclusion of a weeks-long trial in Alameda County Superior Court.
The lawsuit, originally filed in 2023, targets Heartbeat International and RealOptions Obria, a Northern California chain of crisis pregnancy centers. Bonta alleges the organizations violated California’s False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law by promoting abortion pill reversal as a safe and effective treatment despite what the state argues is a lack of scientific evidence supporting those claims.
Speaking after both sides concluded presenting evidence, Bonta said the state had built a strong case and expects to prevail. “Every Californian deserves truthful, accurate information when making deeply personal healthcare decisions,” he said, adding that his office will continue pursuing organizations it believes spread false medical information about reproductive health care.
According to the state’s case, the organizations advertised that administering high doses of progesterone after a patient takes mifepristone can reverse a medication abortion. California argues there is no reliable scientific evidence demonstrating the treatment is either safe or effective and alleges the defendants failed to adequately warn patients about potential risks, including severe bleeding.
Heartbeat International has rejected those allegations, maintaining that women who regret beginning a medication abortion deserve the opportunity to try to continue their pregnancies. The organization argues that progesterone has resulted in thousands of successful births and contends the state’s lawsuit is an attempt to suppress information about an option some women wish to pursue.
The case is one of California’s most closely watched legal battles over abortion-related speech and advertising since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. A ruling from the Alameda County Superior Court is expected in the coming months and could have broader implications for how crisis pregnancy centers advertise their services in California.
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