GRT removes controversial abortion ‘reversal pill’ ad

Grand River Transit came under fire for hosting a piece of advertising that claimed to provide abortion 'reversal' pills.

The advert spotted at the Ainslie Terminal in Cambridge read, “Regret taking the abortion pill?” and directed people to an American website and to call the number provided.

Following complaints, the advert was taken down for review. 570 NEWS reached out to the GRT and recieved this statement:

In regards to your questions;  as per our policy, and in response to the complaints received, the ad has been removed pending further review to confirm the ad meets the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards.

In 2019, the transit service came under similar criticism when it hosted controversial advertisements on local buses. The ad space was bought by the Kitchener-Waterloo Right To Life Association and made misleading claims about abortion being linked to suicide, substance abuse, breast cancer, depression, and infertility. 

The ads were taken down following complaints; with GRT saying the ads were displayed without their approval.

The website featured on the advert is actually based out of the U.S. and makes claims that an abortion can be stopped in mid progress. 

A medically induced abortion works in three steps: 

• A doctor clears the person and they are given RU486 (mifepristone), also known as the abortion pill
• Within the next 24-48 hours after taking the pill, the person will then have to take a second pill called misoprostol
• The person will then follow-up with a doctor to make sure the pill worked

It's after the ingesting of the first pill that the website claims can be reversed by introducing their “abortion reversal pill” (progesterone).

Robin Schwarz, Program Director with the SHORE Centre, says the pill was something pushed by pro-life activists in the U.S., but is “entirely unproven and potentially dangerous response to medical abortion.” The SHORE Centre provides pregnancy support and abortion support within Waterloo Region.

She tells Kitchener Today with Brian Bourke on 570 NEWS, this was the first time she heard of it anywhere in Canada. 

“When we hear things like this coming out of the U.S., they fail to understand how good our medical system is here in terms of ensuring that abortion is done always safely; legally,” she says. “It's been legal in Canada for 30 years; it is highly regulated, and it is one of the safest medical procedures in the world.”

Schwarz says she doesn't know what the “endgame” is for pushing this abortion reversal pill, and says she isn't even aware of any doctors or medical professionals that support it locally.

“There's very little evidence again, like even though this website exists, it is only grounded in one study and there has been no comprehensives study on whether or not this works from the medical community in North America.”

Within the FAQ section of the website, the organization does not provide any resources for abortions; only the reversal pill. Further down, they say they only have the support of the The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists.

Does your organization provide the abortion pill to women or perform surgical abortions?
Abortion Pill Rescue provides compassionate support for women during their pregnancies and does not provide or refer for abortion services. We work diligently to provide women seeking reversal with information and resources to make healthy choices for their pregnancies.

Do any professional organizations support Abortion Pill Reversal?
The American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, a 2500-member organization, supports offering Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) to women who regret initiating the abortion pill process, after appropriate informed consent.

An NPR article published in 2019, studies on the effectiveness and safety of the pill had only started recently.

According to Schwarz, the advert was “designed to mislead people” who are in a very vulnerable position, despite, in her experience, many people feeling relieved after their abortion.

“I encounter people all the time who are unsure because abortion is a very personal decision and we would never ever—we are a pro-choice organization—we would never want someone to make a decision that was not right for them.”