US religious conservatives have claimed for years that a medical abortion can be ‘reversed’ if high doses of the hormone progesterone are taken.
The problem is that there is no medical evidence to support this claim – and the only trial into the method’s effectiveness and safety was abruptly halted in 2019 after several participants were hospitalised with severe haemorrhaging.
This year, an openDemocracy investigation revealed that doctors around the world, connected to the US Christian Right group Heartbeat International, are prescribing this ‘treatment’ to women – under the radar of medical regulators and health authorities. In some countries such as the UK it appears to be more widespread; in others, it seems to be taking root now.
