A federal judge blocked a new Illinois statute that could have shut down prolife pregnancy centers.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, the Illinois governor, signed a pro abortion law last week. This could prevent mothers and babies from receiving life-saving services if pregnancy resource centers are closed across the state.

Senate Bill 1909, a bill that would crackdown on “deceptive” practices by abortionists is being hailed as a victory for pro-lifers. The legislation will be used to shut down charities which help mothers or save unborn children from the billion dollar killing industry of the abortion industry.

After a hearing at the United States District Court late last night, a federal court granted a motion by Thomas More Society lawyers for a preliminary order seeking to stop Illinois’ new law that attacks life-affirming matern health care centers. National Institute of Family Life Advocates et al. filed the lawsuit. Raoul asserts that the law, which was enacted July 27, 2023 and amends the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act, was designed to target pregnancy-help ministries because of their prolife message.

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Peter Breen is Executive Vice President of the Thomas More Society and the head of litigation. He said, “Free Speech has won today in Lincoln’s Land–pro life advocates can now breathe a big sigh of relieve that they will not be prosecuted by Attorney General Kwame Rahoul for’misinformation.’ Breen argued for the National Institute of Family Life Advocates, other pro-life ministries and pregnancy care centers throughout Illinois.

Breen said that laws targeting pregnancy help ministries’ life-affirming activities discriminate against them across the country. The injunction issued today sends an important message that First Amendment protections for pro-life speech are guaranteed.

Pro-life leaders said Pritzker had signed the bill to eliminate pro-life competition with abortion businesses.

“If you are a poor Illinois woman facing an untimely pregnancies, J.B. Pritzker, and the Democrats, want you to only have one option, abortion,” said Eric J. Scheidler. He is the executive director of Pro-Life Action League in Illinois. SB 1909 was created to address this issue.

Scheidler is confident that the law will be declared unconstitutional.

According to Pritzker’s office, “the new law prohibits ‘crisis pregnancies centers’ from misinformation, deceptive practice, or misrepresentation to interfere with the access to abortion or emergency contraception.”

The Illinois Attorney General’s Office has broad authority to determine “appearances” of deception or “omissions of any material facts.” Violations could result in fines up to $50,000. The law does not cover abortion clinics.

Pritzker, in a signed law statement, said that women need to have access to comprehensive and fact-based healthcare, not misinformation or manipulation from non-medical, politically motivated actors. By empowering the Attorney General’s Office to fight deceptive practices we ensure Illinoisans can make accurate and safe decisions about their bodies.

Peter Breen (executive vice president, head of litigation, Thomas More Society) said that the law would silence prolife advocates.

Breen stated that this is an attempt to silence pro-life speech by claiming consumer protections. “These pregnancy help ministries offer real options and support to women and families who are in need. But instead of giving them the credit they deserve, pro abortion-rights politicians target these ministries with fines of $50,000 and injunctions because of their pro life viewpoint.”

Pregnancy Resource Centers are local charities that offer information to women that they would not receive at an abortion clinic. This includes abortion risks, the development of a fetus, and support services for pregnant and parenting moms.

Clients report mostly positive experiences. Republican legislators pointed out during the debate in state legislature that the Attorney General’s Office has never received a complaint regarding a prolife pregnancy resource centre for at least the past 10 years.

The pregnancy centers are being attacked across the country. From arson to vandalism to pro-abortion media campaigns and hit pieces, they have been targeted.

Jonathan Alban, of the Illinois Family Institute, says that these centers are opposed to abortion. He said that the new law only defines “deceptiveness” by the refusal of crisis pregnancy centers to perform abortions.

Alban stated earlier this year that “these bills will be extremely damaging to the Illinois pro-life movement and could result in the closing of many crisis pregnancy centres.” If these bills are passed, they won’t just stop at crisis pregnancy centers. The next bill would prevent pastors and churches from advising their parishioners against abortion or preaching against killing.

Andrew Kaake, lead editor of Equal Rights Institute’s analysis of the bill said that the legislation could actually force pro-lifers into doing the very thing legislators say they want them to stop.

Kaake cited state Democrat legislators who accused pregnancy centres of “concealing the data that shows the risks of death associated childbirth are approximately 14 times greater than the risks of death associated abortion”.

Kaake stated that the claim of risks is based only on one flawed study and the research was repeatedly discredited.

He wrote: “The Illinois Legislature wants to codify false claims from a single debunked research, and accuses pro-lifers of fraud for refusing to accept it as true.” “That’s correct; they want to force pregnancy centers into giving false information to their clients.”

Illinois had some the most liberal laws on abortion in the nation. In 2021 the Illinois state legislature ignored public opinion and voted against the parental notification law. This required that at least one parent be notified prior to an underage girl having an abortion. State law also requires taxpayers to cover abortions, and permits unborn children to be aborted up until birth for any reason.

According to Illinois Health Department statistics, 46,243 reported abortions occurred in 2021.