A staff member at the abortion facility told Sara there was no way to reverse the abortion process after taking the first abortion pill. If she did try to reverse it, the staff member said, it would be very dangerous for Sara.
“I took the pill and immediately felt such strong regret,” Sara said.
“I started crying and she patted my back and said, ‘You did the right thing,’ and left the room,” Sara said. “And it made me so upset to hear her say that because I was feeling such immense regret and shame and emptiness.”
“And for her to say that, I felt like, how would she know if it was the right thing?” Sara added.
Sara shared her story for Heartbeat International, which manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN).
Sara and her boyfriend had just broken up and she had two older children of her own. A new pregnancy was bad timing. She said the father of the baby did not want more children, and so they decided she would move forward with taking the abortion pill.
However, after taking the first abortion pill Sara knew it was a mistake.
She called the baby’s father and told him through tears how badly she felt about this decision. He admitted to her he was hoping she would not move forward with the abortion. Sara proceeded to search the internet for possible options to reverse the chemical abortion process despite what the doctor had warned her.
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Chemical abortion is a two-drug process. The first drug, mifepristone, blocks progesterone in the pregnant woman’s system, starving the unborn child of nutrients. The second chemical abortion drug, misoprostol, is taken a day or so later, causing the mom to deliver her deceased child.
If a woman acts quickly enough after taking the first abortion drug it may be possible to save her unborn child through Abortion Pill Reversal (APR), an updated application of a decade’s-old treatment used to prevent miscarriage. The APR protocol involved prescribing progesterone to counter the effects of the first abortion drug.
Sara found the APR hotline number and had progesterone in her hands in 15 minutes, she said. The APRN nurse was very helpful, Sara recalled.
“She set up an appointment for me at one of the pregnancy resource centers that same day,” said Sara. “And that's where I had the ultrasound to see that my baby was okay still.
“And I just felt so much hope that I could make it right,” she said. “And that was exactly what I needed in that moment because I was feeling so regretful.”
Sara's son James was born in June of 2020.
Sara encourages other young women to listen their instincts when facing an unexpected pregnancy.
“I know it can be overwhelming and it feels like a lot,” she said, “but if there's a part of you that's saying this isn't the right thing to do, listen to that part so you don't end up regretting it.”
“And if you're already past that point and you did take the pill, reach out to the APRN hotline or to a pregnancy resource center,” Sara said.
Tweet This: If you're already past that point and you did take the pill, reach out to the APRN hotline, or to a pregnancy resource center- APR mom Sara
As she shared how James would not be here today if not for APR, Sara broke into tears.
“He was the piece I never knew was missing, and I can’t imagine life without him,” Sara said.
Tweet This: “He was the piece I never knew was missing, and I can’t imagine life without him” - APR mom Sara on her son James
“You’re changing people’s lives,” she said. “I can’t imagine my life without my son, and I owe it to this (APRN) network.”
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages the Abortion Pill Rescue® Network (APRN) and Pregnancy Help News.
