A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Thursday that favors the request of the National Institute of Family Life Advocates (NIFLA) to block Illinois’ new law targeting pro-life pregnancy ministries.
Judge Iain D. Johnston, of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, issued a preliminary injunction in the case of National Institute of Family Life Advocates v. Raoul to halt Illinois’ new law.
The complaint stated:
Governor Pritzker has signed into law Senate Bill 1909 … which openly targets pro-life pregnancy ministries—while exempting abortion facilities—by specifically prohibiting them from engaging in undefined “deception” or “omissions of any material fact” under the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Businesses Practices Act (“Deceptive Business Practices Act”). But SB1909 goes far beyond traditional restrictions on deceptive business practices, in part by stating in its express legislative intent (Section 1 of the law) that it unapologetically targets alleged pro-life “misinformation”—that is, controverted facts about abortion that the Illinois General Assembly majority believes are not among the “orthodox” views on the subject.
“Governor Pritzker went so far overboard with this law, demanding people who don’t agree with him outrightly go against their beliefs and support his radical abortion stance,” said NIFLA President Thomas Glessner in a press statement sent to The Star News Network. “We are thrilled with the judge’s decision to issue the preliminary injunction against this unconstitutional law and hope it follows Roe into the trash heap.”
Glessner further observed the benefits of the ruling to women.
“This is a huge win for women and their families seeking assistance for an unplanned pregnancy, many of whom have nowhere else to go for help,” he said. “It’s also a big win for pro-life pregnancy centers whose First Amendment rights have been blatantly attacked by the state of Illinois who want to force them to go against their deeply held beliefs that women deserve better than abortion.”
Peter Breen, executive vice president and head of litigation for the Thomas More Society, which represents the plaintiffs, said, “Free speech won today in the Land of Lincoln—pro-life advocates across Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief they won’t be pursued for ‘misinformation’ by Attorney General Kwame Raoul.”
“Across the nation, pregnancy help ministries are being discriminated against by laws that target their life-affirming work,” Breen added. “The injunction granted today sends a strong, clear message to the country that the First Amendment protects pro-life speech.”
Last week, NIFLA also filed a complaint, in conjunction with two Vermont pregnancy centers and their attorneys at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), against the Green Mountain State “for the unconstitutional attack launched against pregnancy centers in the state” as a result of a law, signed by Republican Governor Phil Scott, that “suppresses the free speech rights of faith-based pregnancy centers,” ADF said.
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Susan Berry, PhD is national education editor at The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected]
