The Supreme Court has struck down a California Law that forced Pro-Life clinics to promote abortion.
In a highly anticipated ruling, the U. S. Supreme Court struck down a California law that forced pro-life pregnancy centers to provide free advertising for the abortion industry. The ruling also affirms that the government can’t force Americans to express messages with which they disagree.
On behalf of the 5-4 majority, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote, “the people lose when the government is the one deciding which ideas should prevail… This Court’s precedents are deeply skeptical of laws that ‘distinguish’ among different speakers, allowing a speech by some but not others.”
The ruling was applauded by Alliance Defending Freedom. ADF President, CEO, and General Counsel Michael Farris said, “No one should be forced by the government to express a message that violates their convictions, especially on deeply divisive subjects such as abortion,”
ADF argued on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), the group that brought the suit.
The California law required licensed medical centers that offer free, pro-life help to pregnant women to post or distribute a disclosure saying that California provides free or low-cost abortion and contraception services. Additionally, the law forced unlicensed pregnancy centers to add large disclosures in multiple languages about their non-medical status in advertisements, which obscured and crowded out their pro-life speech.