ACLJ Files Amicus Brief Asking Supreme Court To Hear Case To Defeat the Coordinated Assault on Pro-Life Pregnancy Resource Centers

There is a nationwide, coordinated assault by the abortion industry and its political allies to stifle and shut down the lifesaving work of pro-life centers. We’re taking direct legal action to fight back and protect those who are saving unborn lives.

The ACLJ recently filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Pennsylvania Pregnancy Wellness Collaborative (PPWC), New Jersey Right to Life, and the National Institutes of Family and Life Advocates. The case, which is pending before the U.S. Supreme Court, concerns the need for the rights of pro-life Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) to be protected from growing and unjust government efforts to restrict or eliminate them.

PRCs are incredibly important in the fight for preborn life. They provide much-needed aid and resources for women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies – aid that actually uplifts and empowers women, rather than simply convincing them to allow the assassination of their own children. Over the decades, PRCs have provided millions of dollars’ worth of support to mothers in crisis pregnancies, and many have provided quality medical services to them as well. For example:

In New Jersey alone, PRCs helped “35,138 women, men, youth, and families in 2019, [by] providing free services and materials valued at nearly $3 million.” These services “included 5,614 free ultrasounds performed by registered nurses or medical sonographers and 9,431 free pregnancy tests.”

However, despite the overwhelmingly positive role they play in the lives of women and preborn children, PRCs have found themselves under attack yet again.

That is why the ACLJ filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court of the United States, petitioning them to examine the unjust treatment of First Choice Women’s Resource Center, a PRC based in New Jersey. We detailed the multipronged lawfare attack being waged against PRCs in New Jersey here, and we go into even further analysis in the brief we just filed.

In our brief, we outline for the Court the attacks being levied against PRCs both at the state and federal level – such as the open letter sent by pro-abortion Members of Congress to the CEO of Google erroneously labeling PRCs as “fake clinics” and requesting to limit the reach of PRC online ads, or the request by U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer for the Biden Administration to defund PRCs through the implementation of a proposed rule. Despite the highly qualified and beneficial medical services that PRCs provide, Rep. Gottheimer accused them of masquerading as “healthcare providers . . . to divert women away from real healthcare clinics,” asserting that PRCs are engaged in “[d]eceptive practices” and “disseminating inaccurate medical misinformation.”

We also lay out the introduction of a congressional act that would leverage the Federal Trade Commission against PRCs by prohibiting supposedly unfair or deceptive advertising related to PRCs.

Our 27-page brief draws the Supreme Court’s attention to these numerous attacks and many others as well, which is why we are confident in our claim:

Pro-abortion states and officials have multiple ways to advance their pro-abortion agenda. Trampling on the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech and religion, under the false guise of enforcing consumer fraud laws, is not one of them.

Victory in this case would be a huge win for PRCs, not just in New Jersey but also the entire country. That’s why the ACLJ has joined in the call for the Supreme Court to examine this case and why we will continue to advocate for pro-life rights everywhere.

If you are a Pregnancy Resource Center and need our help, contact us at ACLJ.org/HELP. We are standing by to assist.