The Daily Signal - Abortion Pill Reversal Saved Her Baby Girl’s Life

Episode Date: February 5, 2024

Katelynn Perry sat in her bathtub doing Google searches on her phone. Was there a way to save her unborn baby? She had taken the first chemical abortion pill that day and had decided she was not going to take the rest.  After visiting Planned Parenthood, Perry says, she “knew that taking that first pill was wrong,” adding, “I shouldn't have let them influence me.”   Perry already had four kids when she found out she was pregnant with her fifth child, and given the financial struggles she and her husband were facing, she had decided to visit Planned Parenthood to discuss her options.  “When I tried to ask questions, they were kind of shot down. They weren't really answered in full,” Perry said of her trip to the clinic. “They used a lot of medical terms that I didn't understand.”  After taking the first abortion pill at Planned Parenthood, Perry was instructed to go to her local pharmacy to pick up the other pills to complete the abortion, but she decided she wouldn't do that. Her Google searches led Perry to Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue Network website. She called the number and spoke to a nurse who told her it was possible that her baby was still alive and could be saved. The nurse connected Perry with a pregnancy resource center about an hour away in Lynchburg, Virginia. When she arrived, the first step was an ultrasound to see whether the baby was still alive.  “We do the ultrasound; she still has a heartbeat,” Perry said of her baby. The medical staff at the pro-life center explained to Perry how the abortion pill reversal works through a 12-week hormone therapy.  Today, Perry’s baby girl, Aubrey, is just over a year old, healthy and “the sweetest little girl you would ever meet,” her mother says.  Perry joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to share her story and inform other women that the abortion-reversal pill can save the life of the unborn.  Enjoy the show! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is the Daily Signal podcast for Monday, February 5th. I'm Virginia Allen. Caitlin Perry was thrilled when she found out around Christmas time that she was pregnant with her fifth child. But soon, the anxiety and the stress of financial pressures, hardships at home, and already having four kids set in. And Caitlin began to wonder if she should have an abortion. She went to Planned Parenthood, and they gave her an abortion. pill. Well, that lay Caitlin down a journey that changed her life and the life of her baby girl, Aubrey Lynn. Ultimately, Aubrey Lynn did survive and is here today. And Caitlin is joining us to talk about the miracle story of her baby and how the abortion reversal pill changed her and her

family's life forever. Stay tuned for my conversation with Caitlin after that. As conservatives, sometimes it feels like we're constantly on defense against bad ideas. Bad philosophy, revisionist history, junk science, and divisive politics. But here's something I've come to understand. When faced with bad ideas, it's not enough to just defend. If we want to save this country, then it's time to go on offense. Conservative principles are ideas that work. Individual responsibility, strong local communities, and belief in the American dream.

As a former college professor and current president of the Heritage Foundation, my life's mission is to learn, educate, and take action. My podcast, The Kevin Roberts Show, is my opportunity to share that journey with you. I'll be diving into the critical issues that plague our nation, having deep conversations with high-profile guests, some of whom may surprise you. And I want to ensure freedom for the next generation. Find the Kevin Roberts Show wherever you get your podcast. It is my pleasure today to be joined by wife and mother of fun. Caitlin Perry. Caitlin, thanks for being with us today and sharing your story. Thanks for the opportunity. It feels really good to be here with you guys. Well, I am really, I have been looking

forward to this conversation for a while, but I'm just excited to hear a little bit about your children, all five, but specifically the story of Audrey Lynn, who Audrey almost didn't exist. When did you first learn that you were pregnant with your little girl? So I found out that I was pregnant with Aubrey on Christmas Day of 2021. And it was very emotional. We were really excited. It was Christmas. All of our family was here. We found out we were expecting. And we told everybody when they came over to our house for Christmas because with five kids, we're always the one that hosts everything. So everyone comes over to our house. So we told everybody and we were so happy. So that was the day, Christmas Day.

I love that. And then I know life happens and things started getting a little bit stressful along the line. Just explain kind of what that process was as the pregnancy was moving along for you and your husband. Yeah, of course. So, of course, after the emotions were gone of Christmas Day and everybody was back where they were supposed to be and settled and we were alone, it was a shock to the same. system because we quickly realized we already have four kids. How are we going to take care of a fifth? My husband was battling active addiction at the time. I was in between jobs. I didn't have stable income. He owned his own business, which wasn't doing well at the time. It was just a lot on our

plate. So it very quickly overwhelmed us and made us start thinking about other options. What were those other options that you were considering? So we didn't really know and that's kind of what led us to Planned Parenthood because that's like really the only place that's advertised that we knew of. So we went there to discuss all of our options like maybe adoption, maybe abortion, maybe, you know, whatever it may be, we just were exploring. When you walked in the doors of Planned, parenthood, what was that experience like? It became very surreal and very scary all at the same time because they quickly, you know, we didn't even know what we were doing and they quickly took our money, rushed us through check-in, you know, told us it would be this amount of money for the

visit. We sat there for probably an hour waiting to talk to someone. We thought we were going to go back together and discuss our options as a whole, as a family. And when the time came for us to go back, they separated us. And it was really devastating. And then what happened in that when after you and your husband were separated, what were the conversations that you were having with, be it the nurses or doctors in the room? So it kind of became a created sense of urgency when I was back there by myself and I don't make good decisions by myself all the time anyways. So with no support system back there with me, I just made what I thought was the best decision at the time based on the created sense of urgency. They had told me that, you know, I was already, I think it was like

eight weeks along and I wouldn't be able to do the chemical abortion if I waited too much longer and it was a time sensitive thing. They wouldn't be able to get me back in for another appointment. you know, they just happened to have this appointment open today. So who knows when I would be able to get another one, that sort of thing. And pretty much told me that that was going to be my best option. Okay. So you left that day with chemical abortion pills or did they encourage you, hey, you know, you need to take the pills here? What was that process that they encouraged?

They did do that. So they did tell me that I had to take the first pill with them. So I did take the first pill with them, and then they sent me home with a prescription for, I think it was like four more pills that I was supposed to pick up from the pharmacy and never did. Okay, okay. What was running through your mind when you were popping that pill? It was just, I didn't understand really what it was going to do to my body, to the baby. When I tried to ask questions, they were kind of shot down. They weren't really answered in full.

They used a lot of medical terms that I didn't understand. And like I said, I didn't have that support system back there with me to talk me through it and to maybe step in and say, I feel like if my husband was there and he stepped in and said, hey, you know what, we need to take all this into consideration and think about it first. And then we'll let you know. I would have been like, yeah, we do. Yeah. Did you understand in the moment of, okay, they're giving me pills? for me to abort the baby growing inside me? Yeah, you know, I knew that I was going to go through with the abortion,

but it was kind of, again, like they told me this was my best choice, kind of a thing. Yeah. So you leave Planned Parenthood that day. What happened? So I left Planned Parenthood that day. We were both really sad. We went home. We didn't really speak much.

And I was up all night long, pondering on what I had done. and if it was the right choice and didn't want to go to the pharmacy and pick up those extra four pills. And I didn't. And I had already made up my mind. I wasn't going to no matter what happened. I couldn't do it. You know, I knew that taking that first pill was wrong and I shouldn't have let them influence me and I shouldn't have listened to others. And I should have done my own research and figured out the best options for me instead of letting someone else tell me what the best option for me was. So I was up all night and the next morning my husband was still asleep and I was in the bathtub and I was just doing Google searches. What can I do?

I took the first pill. How can I stop it? Is it reversible? Do you have to take the next four? Just Googling different things and I came across Heartbeat International's line to give them a call. Wow. What did you read on their website that? piqued your interest and thought, okay, wait, maybe this can be different. Maybe I don't have to

finish this abortion. You know, honestly, it's been so long now. I don't really remember. And what's interesting is when I spoke with Heartbeat International, they had said that Google was kind of censoring some things with their advertisements now. And so it made sense to me because before I spoke with Heartbeat, I went back and Googled the same thing. that I did that day in that bathtub to see if I could find it again and I couldn't. It was not there. Wow. Wow. So Heartbeat International, they have something called the Abortion Pill Rescue Network. This is why Aubrey is here. Explain what this network is, how you got connected with them. Absolutely. So I found the telephone number and to be honest with you, it looked like an advertisement for

some sort of debt collection agency. So I was really hesitant on calling it. I'm like, oh, do they just want my money? So I took a leap of faith and just called it anyways. And I immediately got a warming nurse on the other line. And she assured me that everything was going to be okay. She was like, we're going to find out what's going on with your baby girl. We didn't know it was a girl at the time, but I was still hoping for one. She said, you know, we're going to find out what the best option is for you. And this doesn't necessarily mean that it's over. So she talked to me through it, got me calm down, told me that she was going to do some research on where I could go that would be close to me. And she was going to

give me a call back because then it became another time sensitive urgent matter because you only have 72 hours to reverse that pill after you take it. So she put me on hold and it was about 15, 20 minutes. And she came back and she said, I don't have a center that you can go to that's in Roanoke, Virginia, where I'm at, but she said, I do have a center that's in Lynchburg, Virginia. It's about an hour away from you. And she said, can you make it there today? And I said, you know, we're really low on funds. I really don't know if I have the gas to go an hour away, but I'll make it work, whatever we have to do. So I borrowed some money from my father that day, didn't tell a soul, didn't tell anybody what I was doing. I knew I was making the right decision.

It was very different from the decision that I had made the night before. The night before was very regretful, and this decision felt like a leap of faith in joy. It felt like a miracle. like God was leading me. It felt like he was making a way. So I knew I was making the right decision to go to that clinic that she referred me to. And what happened when you got to that clinic? So I drove all the way to Lynchburg and when I got there, they were actually closed. The clinic was closed that day and I was like, oh boy, what are we going to do now? And then here comes a team of probably three or four people walking up to the door with keys. And I was like, wow, God made away again. Here we are. They're opening the doors for me specifically on this day

when they're supposed to be closed. So a team of a nurse, the center director, the doctor, they all met me there. And they said, this is what we're going to do. We're going to go back and we're going to do an ultrasound and we're going to see if the baby still has a heartbeat. And if she does, you know, we will walk you through the abortion pill reversal process. So I'm like, okay, this is all still new to me. I didn't even know this was a thing. I didn't even know this was, you know, a possibility. So, of course, I'm asking all the questions and does it really work and is it safe and things like that? And they're reassuring me the whole time. We do the ultrasound. She still has a heartbeat. I'm like, wow. Again, another miracle. Wow. Wow. What a powerful moment to get to

hear your little girl's heartbeat. That was the first time, right? That was the first time. That was the time that we were able to see the baby and hear the heartbeat. Wow. Now, you, as you mentioned, for you, you didn't know that the abortion pill reversal was even an option. Do you think that most women are aware that there is such a thing as an abortion pill reversal? Wow. Okay. Absolutely not. All of our friends, after the fact, of course, all of our friends, family, everybody's looking at me like, what are you doing? And I'm like, this thing called abortion pill reversal. And they're like, what is that?

Like, no one knows about it. And they really should. Is it a multi-pill regimen? Does it take several days? What's the process? So it was a 12-week hormone therapy. Okay. And it required weekly ultrasounds just to check on the baby, make sure things are going well.

And you take your medicine. I think it was twice a day. once in the morning, once at night. And it's just that hormone that we already naturally have. But it gives you that extra hormone so that the baby can keep going. And it was really hard. It was really hard. It made me very sick.

Every time I took it, I had to try to come up with new ways not to let it come back up. It made me very nauseous. And it was a long, hard 12 weeks. But we got through it. Looking back, do you have any regrets about the decisions that you made to do that 12-week abortion pill reversal regimen? Absolutely not. It was hard and it was very emotional. We didn't know at that point if there was going to be something wrong with the baby. If I had, you know, done something and messed something up that couldn't be reversed. You know, you just don't know what the outcome is until she's actually born. You always have that sense of doubt, but, you know, I don't regret it at all. It was a long,

hard 12 weeks, and it was very sickly, a very sickly 12 weeks, but I still don't regret it. She came out perfect, and I wouldn't do it any other way. And, you know, without trials, you wouldn't have a testimony. How old is Aubrey Lynn now? So she's a little over a year old. she just turned a year in August. So she's walking and talking and doing all of the things. What's your favorite part about being Aubrey's mom? Oh, just being a mother to that sweet little girl. There's so many of my favorite parts.

But just to get to watch her grow and just to get to watch the impact that she has on other people's lives. And she doesn't even know it yet. She doesn't even know how many people she's affected. she doesn't even know that she was brought here by God. She doesn't even have a clue. And she's the sweetest little girl you would ever meet. Wow, I love that. Caitlin, what would you say to other moms who maybe they also have four kids

and they've just found out that they're pregnant and they're looking at a hard situation and they're looking at finances being tight and they're trying to make a choice about what do I do about this person? pregnancy, what would your advice be to them? So I actually had a similar situation come upon me about actually nine months ago. My best friend is in labor right now at the hospital. And nine months ago, she came to me and she said, how did you do it? What do I do? I already have two kids. The father of my child has walked out on me. I don't know how I'm going to make it. And I said, girl, go to the Blue Ridge Women's Center.

And I said, they will give you free medical care until you can get in with an OBGYN. They will give you a pregnancy test. They will give you ultrasounds. They will give you support. I said, they also have parenting classes where you can take your classes and earn points. You learn stuff along the way. And you also learn that you can use those points to buy things in. their store that you will need for the baby. So she did that. And here we are nine months later,

and she's received so much support from our local pregnancy center. She actually won a free Thanksgiving dinner for her family through the Blue Ridge Women's Center. She has taken advantage of their parenting classes and learned how to care for an infant because her other children are older. She used those points to get everything that the baby needed. She's didn't even need to have a baby shower because that's that's one thing that you worry about when you are pregnant you're like how am I going to get everything we need I don't have anybody that would buy anything to come to a baby shower I don't have any friends or family that would support me in this but guess what she didn't even need to have a baby shower after she got done with the with the local

pregnancy center here so she is doing it all on her own of course she has my support of course She has the support of the local women's center here. But that's exactly what I would tell someone is there are resources out there that will help you. And you don't always have to go that route. You don't have to think that's the only option. There are resources. That's powerful. Caitlin, how is your family doing today?

So our family is just growing and thriving. My husband was battling active addiction when we got pregnant with Aubrey. He is now clean, sober, and he no longer is in that industry anymore. He is now a licensed sales agent with United Healthcare. He's been there a year, and he was the top salesman in the entire company this past annual enrollment period. Wow. Well, congratulations to him.

That must make you very proud. Yes. So we've done a complete 360 in our lifestyle. We're now actively involved in church. our kids love it. They love going every Sunday. We're still trying to find the right church that fits our needs. So we've been trying out different churches in the area, but we found a few that we like.

So we've been attending different conferences. We've been attending more spiritual events with others. We've been changing our friend group. We've been implementing Sunday, Fun Day is what we like to call it, where we invite our family over after church on Sunday and have a big dinner. and let the kids play. So spending more time with family. And my oldest is graduating this year. Wow. He graduates in May. So we've got a lot of things to look forward to. A lot of things to look forward to. That is beautiful. Well, I want to say congratulations to you and your husband. That is powerful and hard work, hard work to make those changes in your life. But so, so beautiful. What a testimony

money you and your family have your whole family, all your kids. So thank you, Caitlin, for being willing to share your story, to share Aubrey's story with us and to invite us all into a little bit of a window into the journey that you've been on. So beautiful. Yes, ma'am. I appreciate the opportunity to share the story. And I hope that it can help others who may be facing that same feeling that I was facing about not being able to do it and just feeling lost.

and unsupported. And I really hope that someone hears my story and knows that it is possible and they can find a way. All they have to do is choose to love that child. Thank you so much, Caitlin. Thank you. And with that, that's going to do it for today's episode. Thanks so much for being with us here on the Daily Signal podcast. It's always great when we can start the week off this Monday morning with an encouraging bit of news with a story like Caitlin Perry's and her daughter, Aubrey Lins. I hope you all enjoyed that conversation. I know I certainly loved hearing that story. If you have not had a chance, make sure that you check out our evening show. Every weekday,

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Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha O'Sheris. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com. Thank you.