Colorado to pay $6M after 'abortion pill reversal' law overturned

A federal court has ordered the state of Colorado to pay $5.4 million in legal fees to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, with an additional $700,000 to nurse Chelsea Mynyk as a settlement in a case in which the state barred pro-life entities from providing 'abortion pill reversal' (APR).

Key Takeaways:

• Colorado must pay attorneys' fees and court costs after a federal court struck down its law prohibiting medical professionals from administering APR.

• The law was overturned by a federal court in August, which ruled it unconstitutional.

• 'Abortion pill reversal' uses the hormone progesterone to counteract the effects of the first abortion pill drug mifepristone.

• It is said to have saved more than 6,000 lives.

The Details:

Becket represented Bella Health and Wellness, a pro-life healthcare clinic, in the case Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser. The case challenged Colorado's SB23-190, which was enacted in April 2023 and, in part, prohibited doctors and nurses from providing APR.

A federal court in August 2025 permanently struck down that law, ruling it unconstitutional. According to Becket, state law now requires Colorado to pay attorneys’ fees and court costs.

“At least 18 moms who received abortion pill reversal care at Bella just celebrated Christmas with babies born during this case,” said Rebekah Ricketts, senior counsel at Becket, in a news release.

“All Coloradans should celebrate those little miracles and the brave medical team at Bella that helped their moms when no one else would,” she added. 

Zoom In:

Chelsea Mynyk, a nurse practitioner and certified midwife who helped women seeking APR, intervened in the lawsuit after receiving a letter from the Colorado State Board of Nursing notifying her that she was being investigated for offering APR. (One woman successfully helped by Mynyk shared her story with Live Action News.)

Mynyk was represented by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). Kevin Theriot, senior counsel with ADF, expressed gratitude that Mynyk can continue her pro-life work.

“Many women regret their chemical abortions, and some choose to reverse the effects of the first abortion drug, which can save their baby’s life,” he stated. "But Colorado’s law wrongly attempted to deny women the freedom to make that choice. We’re pleased Chelsea and the other pro-life plaintiffs in this suit are allowed to get back to their life-saving work of helping women and children.”

The PIONEER Of Abortion Pill Reversal - Dr. George Delgado

The Big Picture:

'Abortion pill reversal' uses progesterone in an attempt to outcompete the effects of the first drug of the abortion pill regimen, mifepristone. Progesterone is a natural hormone produced by the female body to help sustain pregnancy. Though it has long been used to help women with a history and risk of miscarriage, opponents decry its use in APR, claiming without evidence that the off-label use is somehow dangerous.

According to the Abortion Pill Rescue Network, APR has saved more than 6,000 babies as of 2024.