Pro-life pregnancy centers win temporary injunction against Letitia James attacks
A federal judge blocked New York Attorney-General Letitia James’s legal action against prolife pregnancy centers who promote the use progesterone as a way to reverse the abortion pill process. The judge cited the threat to the free-speech right of the pro-life pregnancy center.
The U.S. district judge John Sinatra granted the temporary injunction requested by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and its two members, Gianna’s House and Options Care Center. They filed a First Amendment suit against Ms. James back in May.
“Without an injunction Plaintiffs are injured each day that they are forced into giving up their Constitutional rights to speak freely,” Judge Sinatra said, a Trump-appointed judge. “The Attorney General’s equitable counterweights are not sufficient to deny relief in this case.”
The nonprofit pregnancy centres sued shortly after Ms. James filed a civil enforcement case against Heartbeat International, and 11 of their faith-based pregnancy center in New York. She accused them of spreading “false and deceptive” advertising by promoting APR, or abortion pill reversals.
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The state’s action has had a chilling impact on other prolife crisis centers who offer the procedure. A woman who takes the first pill of the two-pill protocol for chemical abortion, but changes her mind later is prescribed progesterone.
Pro-life activists argue that progesterone is a powerful tool that has saved thousands of pregnancies.
Judge Sinatra of the U.S. District Court of the Western District New York said that the pro-life groups are likely to be successful in their claims of free speech.
In the 36-page decision, he stated that “the First Amendment protects Plaintiffs right to speak freely and to express their opinion about APR Protocol, including whether it is safe for pregnant women to use after consulting with their doctor.”
Alliance Defending Freedom stated that this order allows pro-life facilities to “inform women who have taken an abortion drug the possibility of counteracting the drug’s deadly effects and the Attorney General is prohibited from censoring their information.”
ADF Senior Counsel Caleb Dalton stated that pregnant women should have the option of reconsidering an abortion.
Dalton stated that “women in New York literally saved their babies by using progesterone to reverse an abortion pill in progress because they were able to access information from their local pregnancy centers on the safe and effective use of progesterone.” “But the Attorney General tried to deny these women the chance to hear about this lifesaving option.”