On its face, the term “abortion reversal” sounds insane. Like, you would never say “appendectomy reversal,” so what gives? Well, Big Brother Anti-Abobo think that medical abortion, aka taking two pills, mifepristone and then misoprostol, makes the whole process too “easy” and “safe” and “affective.” So they’ve decided to go straight to hysterics and cry to anyone who listens “Wait, this can be REVERSED you know, after the first pill.”

Mifepristone blocks progesterone, so they’re thinking is that if you just give a person a big ol’ dose of progesterone after they take the first pill, that will counteract its effects. The science is … not there. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says there are no valid studies to prove it works. And yet in California nurses can take “abortion reversal” classes and Idaho is trying to pass a bill that would mean doctors HAVE to tell their patients that “abortion reversal” is an option before they proceed with a medication abortion.

Imagine that, with NO SCIENCE AT ALL behind it. That’s basically saying “You could take this pill, but again, we want to remind you… you could also not take this pill.. Wait one more time, you could not take this pill though. Can I just show you one more pamphlet. Wait, why are you leaving?” The scare tactics are winning!

“Abortion reversal” is another annoying-as-shit way that the pearl-clutching hypocrites try to seem reasonable while infantilizing everyone who has ever wanted an abortion. Come on, they say, wolves dressed as grandmothers, why WOULDN’T we want to give pregnant people every option? Why WOULDN’T we want to give them an extra 24-hours? Why WOULDN’T we want to make them drive two days in a row to see the EXACT same doctor for their procedure? But this isn’t done out of the kindness of their hearts, it’s done to stall and stall and stall. And then while they make you stall, they shame you.

They stand in front of clinics to shame. They say you have to look at a picture of the ultrasound to shame. And even after all this if you’ve ALREADY taken the pill, made the decision, then they try to make you panic. “YOU CAN STILL TAKE THIS BACK. GOD WOULD WANT YOU TO.”

How about we just trust women and pregnant people to make their own decisions? How about we don’t use every single opportunity possible to shame them for their choice?

Anti-choice thugs want “abortion reversal” to sound like some divine intervention. What it is is just injecting a bunch of stuff into your body to “counteract” a pill you took. It’s more or less as effective as just not taking the second pill. And well, we know some people who work in the Office of Refugee Resettlement who HAVE just tried to not let pregnant people take the second pill. These thugs will stop at nothing!

So we say join with the Abortion Care Network and sign this petition that says “I trust patients to be an expert with their own lives.” Because people should be allowed to make their own decisions. And “abortion reversal” is a fake option.