Denver, Colo., Oct 23, 2023 / 18:50 pm
A Denver-area Catholic medical clinic can continue to help women reverse unwanted chemical abortions despite a state ban after a judge issued a temporary injunction Saturday.
Mother and daughter Dede Chism and Abby Sinnett, Catholic nurse practitioners who run Bella Health and Wellness in Englewood, Colorado, claim in their ongoing federal lawsuit that the state’s law forbidding health care workers from administering a hormone pill that can reverse chemical abortions violates their First Amendment rights.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Domenico, a Trump appointee, granted their request on Oct. 21 to stop enforcement of the state law while the litigation proceeds. Colorado has 30 days to appeal the decision to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals.
A chemical abortion involves taking two pills. The first, mifepristone, prevents the necessary supply of progesterone from reaching the unborn baby. The second, misoprostol, causes the body to expel the baby’s body. If a woman has only taken the first pill, she can take progesterone to reverse its effects.