Ten researchers from the Charlotte Lozier Institute have filed a lawsuit against Sage Publishing, accusing the company of retracting their studies on abortion pill dangers due to political bias. The lawsuit, filed in California, claims that the retractions breached contract laws and harmed the reputations of the scientists involved.
The studies, which focused on the risks of chemical abortions, were retracted in February following a complaint that alleged misleading data and questioned the authors’ pro-life affiliations. Dr. James Studnicki, the lead author, criticized the retractions as politically motivated and unethical. “These actions damaged our reputations and violated scientific publication standards,” Studnicki said.
One of the retracted studies, published in November 2021, reported a 500% increase in emergency room visits related to chemical abortions over a 13-year period. Another study from May 2022 examined repeated ER visits by women who failed to inform doctors about undergoing chemical abortions. Both studies were cited in federal court decisions involving the FDA’s approval of mifepristone.
Dr. Studnicki, who was removed from Sage’s editorial board prior to the retractions, believes the studies were pulled due to political pressure. The lawsuit seeks to bring Sage to arbitration over the retractions.
The safety of abortion pills has come into focus recently, particularly after Kamala Harris falsely claimed a Georgia woman died due to an abortion ban. The woman’s death was linked to mifepristone, raising concerns about the drug’s safety. Despite this, retailers like CVS and Walgreens continue to dispense the abortion pill, fueling ongoing debates.
