A group of 10 nationally recognized and credentialed scientists filed a petition on October 3 asking the court to arbitrate their claim against a scientific journal after the publisher retracted articles about the dangers of abortion drugs.

According to a press release by Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the world's largest legal organization defending faith and family, Sage Publications originally published the articles written by lead author Dr. James Studnicki and nine other scientists in 2019, 2021, and 2022. Two of the articles focused on the health risks associated with chemical abortion drugs.

For example, the 2021 study showed that in a cohort of 423,000 who had undergone chemical abortions between 1999 and 2015, there were 121,283 emergency room visits occurring within 30 days of the procedure. The study concluded that chemical abortion “is consistently and progressively associated with more post-abortion ER visit morbidity than surgical abortion.”

The articles underwent a rigorous review process, including a double-blind peer review before publication. The medical journal’s editor-in-chief particularly praised the 2021 and 2022 articles as a “fine contribution” to the journal.

However, that all changed when a federal court cited one of the articles in a ruling challenging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its reckless removal of safety standards for abortion drugs. A pro-abortion advocate complained about the articles to Sage, which led to the retraction of the articles as well as the removal of Dr. Studnicki from his position on the editorial board.

“Politics should never sway science, especially when that science is vital for saving and protecting lives,” said ADF Senior Counsel Phil Sechler. “Sage punished these highly respected and credentialed scientists simply because they believe in preserving life from conception to natural death.”

The Catholic News Agency reports that the complainant was Chris Adkins, a professor at the South University School of Pharmacy in Savannah, Georgia. He complained that the scientists were affiliated with pro-life organizations such as the Charlotte Lozier Institute, American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the Elliot Institute. Adkins complained that the studies exaggerated their findings and misrepresented the data in ways that were “grossly misleading.”

States Newsroom, which first reported on Adkins’ accusations, reported him saying of the researchers: “I can’t prove that there was intent to deceive, but I struggled to find an alternative reason to present your data in such a way that exaggerates the magnitude.” States Newsroom also reported that Adkins was worried about the legal status of abortion after the overturn of Roe v. Wade.

“I now have a daughter that is born in a world where there is no Roe v. Wade, no federal recognition that women have the right of bodily autonomy,” Adkins said, adding: “I’m going to support her in whatever way I can.”

When Sage learned of the affiliation with the pro-life groups, the publication claimed a conflict of interest. Sage officially retracted the articles on February 5, using inflammatory language by saying the articles were “misleading” and “demonstrate[d] a lack of scientific rigor.” Sage even called its own peer review process “compromised.”

Since this retraction, “[T]he Authors have had new research proposals inexplicably turned away by other journals that now fear associating with them,” the petition explains. “The Authors have years—even decades—of fruitful research ahead of them, but they are now being treated as pariahs.”

As Sechler concludes, “These actions have caused irreparable harm to the authors of these articles, and we are urging Sage to come to the arbitration table—as it is legally bound to do—rescind the retractions and remedy the reputational damage the researchers have suffered at the hands of abortion lobbyists.”

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