The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) has sued Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey (D) and state officials for their “vicious” campaigns against pregnancy centers.
According to a report from the ACLJ, the lawsuit alleges that the state officials engaged in an overt viewpoint-based discrimination campaign – including harassment, suppression, and threats against [Your Options Medical] YOM and other [Pregnancy Resource Centers] PRCs.”
The legal group described officials as engaging in a “vicious smear campaign” against the pro-life entities involving “law enforcement prosecution, public threats, and even a state-sponsored advertising campaign with a singular goal – to deprive YOM and their counterparts of their First Amendment rights to voice freely their religious and political viewpoints regarding the sanctity of human life.”
The government has accused pro-life bodies of being a “public health threat,” the report explains, and has pushed “public falsehoods and a misleading advertisement campaign splashed across the state.”
The lawsuit focuses on the constitutional protections of free speech, free exercise of religion, and equal protection.
Reproductive Equity Now (REN), a private abortion entity in the smear campaign, has acted on behalf of the state of Massachusetts, the lawsuit alleges. When partnering with the government and receiving state funds, the private group can be sued for constitutional violations, ACLJ asserts.
REN has previously claimed that “anti-abortion centers often offer abstinence-only sex education, post-abortion support, spiritual support, or bible study. While some people need and want post-abortion counseling, and may seek it through their faith leaders, there is no scientific evidence that abortion results in adverse mental health outcomes.” The statement is an attack against the Christian values of many pregnancy organizations, ACLJ wrote.
ACLJ believes YOM has been unjustly targeted by the government due to its pro-life viewpoint.
“The Left is waging a coordinated assault to threaten pro-life pregnancy centers and stifle their views by burying them in complaints, punishments, and disciplines,” ACLJ reported. “Such a targeted system of harassment and discrimination is unprecedented and unconstitutional. Their choice of words goes far beyond mere disagreement or criticism; the state has repeatedly accused PRCs of illegal behavior like deception, misrepresentation, and fraud.”
The ACLJ is seeking a permanent injunction against the Defendants, ordering them to end their smear campaign against pro-life entities.
