Pregnancy Centers & Practical Help

The ACLJ filed a reply brief in the First Circuit Court of Appeals defending Your Options Medical Centers, a Massachusetts-based pro-life Pregnancy Resource Center, against government actions by Governor Maura Healey, the Department of Public Health, and Reproductive Equity Now that allegedly targeted the center for its pro-life speech and services. The brief argues that Massachusetts officials used regulatory power to punish and suppress disfavored speech by branding pro-life centers as deceptive and issuing licensing guidance threatening medical professionals who discuss life-affirming alternatives, violating constitutional protections.

A federal judge ruled that Massachusetts' public education campaign warning about the quality of medical care at pregnancy resource centers like Your Options Medical does not target the centers' religious beliefs. The ruling upheld the state's right to caution the public about these centers, stating the campaign focuses on medical standards rather than religious or political speech.

A federal judge dismissed a lawsuit by Your Options Medical, an anti-abortion center, claiming Massachusetts violated its First Amendment and equal protection rights by targeting it in a state-funded campaign warning about crisis pregnancy centers. The ruling supports Massachusetts' efforts to promote abortion access and counter misinformation from such centers within the state.