As the legal challenge filed by Alliance Defending Freedom against Colorado’s abortion pill reversal ban progresses, the birth of a healthy baby girl to a woman named Mackenna brings real-world impact to the contentious case.
The focus of the lawsuit is Chelsea Mynyk, a nurse practitioner and certified nurse midwife who runs her own clinic in Castle Rock, Colorado, which offers abortion pill reversal (APR). In December 2023, Mackenna took the abortion drug mifepristone to end a pregnancy she believed she did not want, and then immediately regretted her decision.
Mifepristone is the first of two drugs, mifepristone and misoprostol, which, when taken one after the other, can cause a chemical abortion. The drug aims to terminate the pregnancy by inhibiting progesterone, a hormone crucial for pregnancy maintenance. Mackenna’s frantic online search for options led her to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, which connected her with Mynyk.
Mynyk offered Mackenna APR, which involves administering progesterone to counteract the effects of mifepristone. She prescribed progesterone and monitored Mackenna weekly until her 13th week of pregnancy, continuing prenatal care until the 20th week. The treatment proved successful, and in the summer of 2024, Mackenna gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
While Mackenna’s story had a happy ending, it became entangled in a larger legal controversy that began months before her daughter’s birth.
In April 2023, Colorado passed a law banning medical professionals from providing, advertising, or even informing patients about APR. The law, which went into effect in 2024, carried potential fines of up to $20,000 per violation.
In January 2024, someone filed a complaint against Mynyk for offering APR. This prompted an investigation by the Colorado Board of Nursing, putting Mynyk’s practice at risk.
Driven by her Christian belief in the sanctity of life, Mynyk decided to fight back. With legal representation from Alliance Defending Freedom, she joined an ongoing lawsuit challenging Colorado’s ban on APR.
What is Alliance Defending Freedom?
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) is an alliance-building, non-profit legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, parental rights, marriage and family, and the sanctity of life.
Alliance Defending Freedom Church & Ministry Alliance, focuses on tackling specific legal issues confronting religious organizations. This specialized branch of ADF offers tailored assistance to churches, ministries, and similar faith-based entities. Its primary goal is to safeguard these organizations’ ability to function in line with their religious beliefs and core values.
Alliance Defending Freedom filed a motion to intervene in the existing case, Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser, on Mynyk’s behalf in March 2024. The organization argues that Colorado’s law violates both religious freedom and freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment.
Alliance Defending Freedom lawyers contend that the law infringes on Mynyk’s right to practice medicine in accordance with her religious beliefs and argue that prohibiting medical professionals from even discussing APR with patients violates their First Amendment rights.
Additionally, Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys claim the law deprives women of potentially life-saving information and care, limiting their ability to make informed decisions about their pregnancies. The motion further challenges the state’s assertion that APR is unsafe or misleading, pointing out that progesterone is routinely used to prevent miscarriages and preterm labor.
As the case progresses, Alliance Defending Freedom is seeking a broader injunction that would prevent Colorado from enforcing its APR ban against any medical professional in the state, not just the plaintiffs in the current lawsuit.
In a statement on Alliance Defending Freedom Media, ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot said that Colorado can’t silence medical professionals and prevent them from saving lives. “Many women regret their abortions, and some choose to reverse the effects of the first abortion drug, often saving their baby’s life. But Colorado’s law wrongly denies women the freedom to make that choice. The state can’t force women to follow through with an abortion when a safe alternative is available—one that Chelsea and the pro-life plaintiffs in this case can skillfully provide,” Theriot said.
Mackenna’s story highlights the vitally important work being done by organizations like Alliance Defending Freedom in challenging laws that could deny mothers a second chance and babies their right to life.
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