1/1/2019

An interview with Dr. George Delgado, a pioneer in the science of abortion pill reversals

Dr. George Delgado, a member of Regina Coeli Council 4953 in Escondido, Calif., welcomes a patient named Karla and her 2-year-old daughter to the Culture of Life Family Services center in Escondido. The ultrasound machine at left was the 10th unit donated via the Knights of Columbus Ultrasound Initiative — placed at the center in 2009 thanks to fundraising by California Knights. Photos by John Trice

Life is fragile. It can be ended by taking a pill. Mifepristone, also known as RU-486, has been widely available in the United States since 2000 and is now used in 30-45 percent of all abortions nationwide (more than 300,000 per year).

Yet it is not uncommon for a woman to take an abortion pill and immediately regret it. Dr. George Delgado, the medical director of Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) in San Diego County, received an urgent call about one such woman in 2009. He quickly devised a protocol to reverse the effects, and the baby was saved. As the news spread, Delgado launched a website (abortionpillreversal.com) and hotline that grew into a national network of nurses, doctors and midwives who have since saved hundreds of babies — including more than 10 at COLFS centers.

A member of Regina Coeli Council 4953 in Escondido, Calif., Dr. Delgado is board-certified in family medicine and hospice and palliative medicine. He has a certification in health care ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center and is trained in NaProTECHNOLOGY. He also recently established the Steno Institute, named after the 17thcentury scientist Blessed Nicholas Steno, to refine abortion pill reversal protocols and conduct other pro-life research.

He recently spoke to Columbia about his work and the influence of his faith.

COLUMBIA: What is a “medical abortion,” and how does an abortion pill reversal work?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: The current protocol for a medical abortion is a twodrug combination given up to 10 weeks of pregnancy. First, mifepristone is given to block progesterone receptors. Without progesterone, the placenta separates and the baby loses nutrition and dies. After 24 to 48 hours, a second drug called misoprostol is given, which causes the uterus to contract and expel the remains of the dead preborn baby.

If a woman changes her mind and has not taken the second drug, there’s a window of opportunity to reverse the effect of the mifepristone. That’s when we give supplemental progesterone; a higher dose for the first three days and a lower dose for the rest of the first trimester.

COLUMBIA: How did abortion pill reversals come about?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: The first recorded reversal was by Dr. Matthew Harrison in 2006, and I had a similar case in 2009. We each arrived at the same solution independently.

In my medical practice, I had often used progesterone to sustain pregnancies at risk of miscarriage, and I had also studied mifepristone. So when I got the first call in 2009, I thought, “If we give extra progesterone, then maybe we can outcompete mifepristone and avert the medical abortion.” I came up with a protocol, and the baby was saved.

COLUMBIA: How widely used have abortion reversals become, and how successful are they?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: After people heard about the initial case, more and more calls came in. So we launched an organization with a website and a 24- hour national hotline staffed by nurses. Today, we have a network of 500 doctors. We’ve had more than 550 births of healthy babies, and there are another 150 to 200 women who are pregnant now after successful reversal.

We recently published a large study in a peer-reviewed medical journal that followed more than 250 women who had successful reversals using our protocols. The effectiveness, or survival rate of the preborn baby, was 64 to 68 percent, which is much better than the 25 percent if you give mifepristone to a woman and nothing else is done.

COLUMBIA: What has been the greatest challenge in making people aware of this?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: There is a concerted effort by abortion centers to not fully inform women about this. We have heard a number of anecdotes from women who report calling abortion centers after changing their minds and being told that there’s no chance of reversal, or that the baby will have birth defects. Both claims are false. Abortion reversal is effective and very safe — the birth defect rate is no greater than in the general population.

As a result, several states have passed laws requiring clinics to obtain thorough, informed consent and let women know about the opportunity for reversal.

COLUMBIA: How has your faith informed your work as a physician?

DR. GEORGE DELGADO: Jesus told us to spread the Good News and to take care of the least of our brothers and sisters. And who are the least of our brothers and sisters? They are the preborn and the women who are being pressured into having abortions or who don’t know that they have other options.

As a Catholic and Fourth Degree Knight, this is very important to me. I feel I’ve been called to this very special ministry to help these women who so desperately want to change their course and want a second chance to choose life. This is my way of seeing Jesus in their eyes and being an instrument of Christ’s love and compassion for them.

‘I knew that God would help me.’

Karla, a resident of San Diego, is married with four children. During her fourth pregnancy, she was treated by Dr. George Delgado after taking the abortion pill. This is her story:

“Two and a half years ago, I went to a family planning clinic for a medical checkup. When the doctor discovered I had three children, he wanted me to take birth control shots. Then they gave me a pregnancy test. I was trying desperately to hold onto a job at a restaurant at the time, and when I was told I was pregnant, I cried and cried. The nurse said she could tell I didn’t want to be pregnant, but I told her I didn’t want to abort.

“The next thing I knew, the nurse had a pill for me to take. She said it was for pain. When the doctor came in, he said I had to come back to ‘complete the procedure.’ He informed me that I had to continue the abortion process or I would have a defective baby or that I would even die because of the ‘material’ left inside me. When he went out to get forms for me to sign, I left the clinic.

“Outside, a group was praying. A lady there gave me the phone number of Culture of Life Family Services (COLFS) in Escondido. I felt very alone, but somehow I knew that God would be there to help me.

“I received a prescription for progesterone and the next week I had my ultrasound there. I was just praying that my baby was alive. Even if she had birth defects, I still wanted her. Then I saw my baby Keyla! The ultrasonographer measured her and counted her heartbeats. Until that moment, I really didn’t believe I was pregnant. Now, I felt so close to my baby.

“I was still having problems at work, but somehow none of that mattered anymore. COLFS helped me with progesterone shots, gave me vitamins and even got me emergency medical insurance. My client advocate was always available for advice and to pray with me. Keyla was born perfectly healthy, and she is a precious part of our family. Life is real, and I thank God, who gives me strength.”