{"id":280300,"date":"2022-11-24T11:41:29","date_gmt":"2022-11-24T17:41:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=280300"},"modified":"2022-11-22T13:53:38","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T19:53:38","slug":"abortion-pill-reversal-oklahoma-governor-task-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/abortion-pill-reversal-oklahoma-governor-task-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortion pill reversal gets boost in Oklahoma due to pro-life governor\u2019s task force"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>)\u00a0In life states such as Oklahoma, chemical abortions are on the rise<\/a> since the Dobbs decision. Abortion Pill Reversal <\/a>(APR) is a propitious choice for women in Oklahoma who wish to reverse a chemical abortion as currently 14 prescribers and clinics there participate in the Abortion Pill Rescue\u00ae Network (APRN).<\/p>\n

The work of APRN providers<\/a> in Oklahoma is getting boosted by Gov. Kevin Stitt\u2019s Helping Every Life and Parent (HELP) Task Force<\/a> initiative.<\/p>\n

Through an executive order<\/a> Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) created the HELP Task Force.<\/p>\n

The executive order stated in part, \u201cBeing pro-life entails more than being \u2018pro-birth;\u2019 it also entails renewing our efforts to support mothers throughout pregnancies, especially crisis pregnancies. While Oklahoma already has a strong network of Crisis Pregnancy Centers, I want to ensure all possible measures are taken to support both the unborn and mothers during crisis pregnancies.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task force will be charged with studying, evaluating, and making recommendations that support pregnancy help centers, foster adoption, channel resources for women in unplanned pregnancy, raise awareness of life in the womb, and empower non-profits and faith-based organizations to support women and families.<\/p>\n

URGENT:\u00a0<\/b>For every dollar given, 34 more people can be reached with the truth about abortion. Will you join us in this life-saving work as a monthly donor today?<\/i><\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

It will also act on a recommendation to establish a statewide cooperative network and process to make Abortion Pill Reversal available.<\/p>\n

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannefelser praised Stitt\u2019s action on behalf of women and families.<\/p>\n

\u201cGov. Stitt\u2019s order creating the Task Force beautifully expresses its mission: to \u2018do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly in support of Oklahoma mothers and families,\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cWe commend the governor for taking this step and all our local allies working to make Oklahoma one of the safest, most supportive states in the nation for the unborn and their mothers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 11-member task force is chaired by Juli Merciez, RN, BSN. Merciez has served as a nurse in labor and delivery and women and children\u2019s care since 1994. In 2015 she co-founded The Cottage, LLC which provides pregnancy resources, including a mobile unit serving the Bartlesville, Okla., area as well as maternity housing.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe took a bold and necessary step for women and the children and the families in Oklahoma and I was happy to be asked to chair that task force,\u201d Merciez stated regarding Stitt\u2019s order.<\/p>\n

The task force is unique in that it represents non-profits, state agencies, community leaders, pregnancy resource centers, people interested in fatherhood programs and the attorney general\u2019s office, Merciez said.<\/p>\n

Mercy Sister Brigid Mary Meeks, of St. Francis Health System in Tulsa, and a 2022 graduate of Villanova Law School, participated in the state sub-committee examining the efficacy of APR and recommendations to the HELP Task Force regarding use of the protocol and building a statewide network of providers.<\/p>\n

“This is not a political issue,\u201d Meeks said. \u201cAnyone who is pro-choice should be for it. Anyone who is pro-life should be for it: this is a matter of providing assistance to a woman who is seeking help with maintaining her pregnancy.\u201d<\/p>\n

After researching the matter with the assistance of Heartbeat International and other pharmacists, providers, and hospitals in the nation, the sub-committee determined its recommendation:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the recommendation of the Task Force to establish a statewide cooperative network and process for the availability of the Abortion Pill Reversal, in conjunction with Heartbeat International, Saint Francis Health System and other health systems, clinics, pregnancy centers and providers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were excited to give him that recommendation which will be led by Heartbeat and St. Francis and we\u2019re going to stand behind that and be proponents of seeing that network come to successful implementation,\u201d Merciez said. \u201cIt is a true choice for women\u2019s healthcare in Oklahoma.\u201d<\/p>\n

Merciez praised the efficacy of APR, remarking on the significance of the planned collaboration to provide APR in Oklahoma.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeartbeat has led the abortion pill reversal for years and we\u2019ve seen the statistics of the effectiveness of that,\u201d Merciez said. \u201cFor St. Francis to work with Heartbeat International and develop kind of a centralized hub and then a network throughout the state, that\u2019s a big task.\u201d<\/p>\n

Progesterone is the natural hormone in a woman\u2019s body necessary to sustain pregnancy. It is regularly prescribed for women who show naturally low levels of the hormone during pregnancy. The first pill of the chemical abortion regimen suppresses the woman\u2019s ability to produce progesterone.<\/p>\n

Christa Brown, director of Medical Impact at Heartbeat International, also noted the significance of strengthening the network of APR in Oklahoma through the statewide co-op.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a time when women can receive abortion pills, not only at abortion facilities, but also delivered directly to their homes through telehealth or order on website, it\u2019s important that women also have options to continue their pregnancies,\u201d Brown said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAPR does not limit access to abortion or reproductive decisions, as these patients have already begun abortion,\u201d she said, \u201cbut rather provides options to those who are having regret.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brown remarked on the safety and effectiveness of the APR protocol.<\/p>\n

\u201cProviding progesterone in pregnancy is safe for moms and safe for babies and is a very common practice in prenatal care,\u201d said Brown. \u201cThe APR protocol utilizes an FDA-approved drug to support the pregnancy which was destabilized by the first abortion drug. APR is effective nearly 70% of the time and the women we assist continue to be thankful for our help and support.\u201d<\/p>\n