A group of pro-life organizations that assist pregnant women are fighting back against a legal action launched against them by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
On April 22, James’ office sent “Notice of Intent to Sue” letters to Heartbeat International, CompassCare and other pregnancy help organizations over what it claimed were “repeated and persistent misleading statements and omissions in the advertising of the Abortion Pill Reversal (‘APR’) protocol.”
APR is what can take place when one of two abortion pills has been ingested and a woman decides she wants to keep her baby instead of killing the child.
In response to James’ action, the pro-life groups — represented by the Thomas More Society — filed a complaint Tuesday in state court arguing the attorney general’s actions violate the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, the New York Constitution and state civil rights law, according to a news release.
“This is a political witch-hunt against small nonprofits that have selflessly served New York’s pregnant women and their children for over 50 years,” Peter Breen, the Thomas More Society’s executive vice president and head of litigation, said in a statement.
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“Letitia James should be heralding these charities, not launching outrageously false claims against them under laws that don’t apply to their noncommercial speech,” Breen said.
“For decades, doctors have been prescribing supplemental progesterone for pregnant women at serious risk for miscarriage — but because this safe and long-established practice may actually reverse abortions, ideologues like Letitia James now want to squelch it,” he said.
Breen said the actions taken by James are a “transparent attempt to harass small pro-life charities into silence, targeting her political opponents because of their beliefs, in flagrant violation of the First Amendment.”
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“We will fight back as long as it takes against Ms. James’ efforts to jeopardize the Christian and life-affirming missions of Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and all similar pro-life ministries in the State of New York,” he said.
The groups seeking an injunction to stop the attorney general’s office from proceeding with its campaign against the pro-life groups.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: NY Attorney General Letitia James is trying to illegally silence pregnancy help organizations. On behalf of Heartbeat International, CompassCare, and a collective of pregnancy help organizations, we are taking her to court.
PRESS RELEASE: https://t.co/ltfSAn822F pic.twitter.com/tRAcGzO36J
— Thomas More Society (@ThomasMoreSoc) April 30, 2024
The complaint said her demands “are the latest development in her politically motivated campaign against pregnancy organizations in general.”
“This time, James targets Plaintiffs’ protected speech and activities engaged in for the sole benefit of pregnant women who have ingested-whether voluntarily or via trick or force-mifepristone, the first pill of the two-pill chemical abortion regimen, but wish to continue their pregnancies,” it said.
“Instead of celebrating the reproductive choice of these pregnant women who have decided to seek to preserve their pregnancies and bring their children to term and celebrating the work of New York’s pregnancy help organizations which empower them in the exercise of their rights, Defendant James has launched a public campaign of opprobrium against the organizations and the APR protocol,” the complaint said, noting the attorney general is attacking pro-life organizations in partnership with abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
While attacking organizations whose politics disagree with hers, it said, “James has taken no action against patently false and misleading statements about the safety and efficacy of chemical abortion by pro-abortion providers who enjoy her favor, including Planned Parenthood.”
Although the case is only focused on New York, the Rev. Jim Harden, CEO of CompassCare, said in a statement that James’ actions “should be a major red flag for all Americans, wherever they stand in the abortion debate.”
“Conspiring to violate the constitutional rights of the politically disfavored sets an ominous precedent and, if allowed to stand, will only serve to dismantle American rule of law,” Harden said.
