Americans United for Life is pleased to see that a California district court judge permanently enjoined California’s AB775 for violating the First Amendment free speech rights of pro-life pregnancy centers. The law, which targeted pro-life pregnancy centers, would have forced both licensed pregnancy centers to advertise that California offers free or low-cost abortions and contraception, and unlicensed centers to include in all of their public advertisements a 29-word disclaimer in large font and in up to 13 languages that the center does not have a licensed medical provider on staff. This ruling is great news and very reassuring not only for free speech, but for the thousands of women facing difficult pregnancy decisions who go to pregnancy centers seeking the life-affirming care, support, and services they offer.
Early this year, the U.S. Supreme Court found in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra that both requirements under California’s AB775 likely violated the First Amendment. AUL filed a “friend of the court” brief in the Supreme Court on behalf of leading pro-life medical groups, including the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the American College of Pediatricians, and the Christian Medical & Dental Associations.
