TMS WEEKLY DISPATCH 7/10/26
Here’s the latest news from the past week at Thomas More Society, in our legal battles defending life, family, and freedom.
Welcome to the TMS Weekly Dispatch for July 10, 2026, with the latest news and updates from the front line, to keep you in-the-know on all things Thomas More Society. If you missed last week's edition, click here.
Here's the latest from the past week:
CALIFORNIA'S OWN EXPERT CAN'T SAY ABORTION PILL REVERSAL DOESN'T WORK: The bench trial in People of the State of California v. Heartbeat International & RealOptions is ongoing in Alameda County Superior Court, and this week the state's case took a serious hit. Attorney General Rob Bonta's lead expert, Dr. Mitchell Creinin, spent two days under cross-examination by Thomas More Society Special Counsel Paul Jonna, and the study his entire case rests on came apart.
Creinin privately called his supposedly “double-blind” study “pseudo-blinded,” then published and testified otherwise. He never reviewed Heartbeat's full 8,800-entry safety dataset, but conceded that if the data were accurate, it would show APR is safe. And asked whether he could swear under oath that APR does not work, he answered “No”; asked whether he could swear it is unsafe, he answered "Qualified, no."
Read the full breakdown, “10 Moments California's Case Against Abortion Pill Reversal Collapsed During Its Own Abortion Expert's Testimony,” here.
MOTHERS WHO CHOSE LIFE TAKE THE STAND: California has yet to produce a single woman who says she was harmed or misled by APR information.
This week, Erika Carrillo, a mother of three from San Mateo, testified about the intense pressure she faced to abort, her immediate regret after taking the first pill, and her 2:00 a.m. search for a way to save her baby. She found a reference to Abortion Pill Reversal online, called the Abortion Pill Rescue Network helpline, and was connected to a RealOptions clinic, where staff treated her “without judgment,” gave her an ultrasound, and began progesterone treatment at no cost. Carrillo, a single mother without a vehicle, was driven to appointments by volunteers and even sent home with a fetal heartbeat monitor. She gave birth to a healthy boy who is now approaching his tenth birthday. On cross-examination, her account went materially unchallenged.
Two more mothers, Elizabeth Barrett and Uyen Pham, are scheduled to take the stand in the coming weeks, each of them raising a healthy child today after starting the APR protocol. These success stories could cease to exist if California prevails in silencing Heartbeat International and RealOptions.
Read the full press release here.
MEDIA ROUND-UP: The trial that Thomas More Society Executive Vice President & Head of Litigation Peter Breen has called the pro-life “trial of the century” is drawing national coverage. Here is some of what ran this past week:
- The Washington Stand (Family Research Council) laid out the stakes in “California Puts Abortion Pill Reversal on Trial,” walking through the demand for more than $20 million, the collapse of the state's expert testimony under cross-examination, and the broader national pattern of attorneys general targeting pro-life speech about APR. Read it here.
- The Daily Wire ran an opinion piece, “California AG Threatens Non-Profits With $20 Million Fine For Saving Babies And Women,” arguing that Bonta is trying to punish two nonprofits for telling women a second chance exists, despite producing no evidence of harm. Read it here.
- California Family Council covered the constitutional dimension in “California Puts Free Speech on Trial Over a Pill That Saves Babies,” noting that the state is seeking nearly $20 million plus a permanent injunction while failing to produce a single complaint from a woman who received the treatment. Read it here.
- The LOOP (via zeale.co) picked up and syndicated the story of how California's case unraveled during its own expert's testimony, carrying the courtroom developments to a wider pro-life readership. Read it here.
- Watch: Thomas More Society Executive Vice President Peter Breen joined Washington Watch for a discussion about the California trial. Viw here.
STAY WITH US ALL WEEK: The Dispatch lands once a week, but this trial is moving daily, and we're posting updates from the courtroom as they happen. Follow Thomas More Society for real-time news, highlights, and ways to stand with us:
