{"id":35390,"date":"2025-12-02T17:27:10","date_gmt":"2025-12-02T17:27:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/?p=35390"},"modified":"2025-12-02T17:27:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-02T17:27:10","slug":"supreme-court-end-harassment-of-pro-life-pregnancy-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/supreme-court-end-harassment-of-pro-life-pregnancy-centers\/","title":{"rendered":"Supreme Court, end harassment of pro-life pregnancy centers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By: Erin Hawley, Opinion Contributor, originally published December 2, 2025, USA Today<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mantra from pro-abortion politicians used to be that abortion should be safe, legal and rare.<\/a> Now, many of those same politicians say that women should \u201cshout their abortions.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They wrap their pro-abortion agenda in pretty packaging with words like \u201cchoice\u201d and \u201creproductive health care,\u201d but the sad reality is that many of those preaching \u201cchoice\u201d are doing all they can to limit women\u2019s choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the U.S. Supreme Court<\/a> overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022<\/a>, numerous state attorneys general have engaged in a concerted effort to punish pro-life pregnancy centers<\/a> simply because they do not perform abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One example of such lawfare against pregnancy centers is happening thanks to New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin, and it got the Supreme Court\u2019s <\/a>attention<\/a>. Oral arguments in the case are scheduled for Dec. 2.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pregnancy resource centers assist mothers in choosing life<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

First Choice Women\u2019s Resource Centers<\/a> is a faith-based group that provides parenting classes, ultrasounds, baby clothes and more to its community \u2013 free of charge. Pregnancy centers like First Choice provide free, compassionate care to women facing unplanned pregnancies, but they do not provide or refer for abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

For this act of defiance, Platkin assembled <\/a>a \u201cstrike force\u201d that issued a statewide \u201cconsumer alert\u201d against pregnancy centers \u2013 all because they value the life of the mother and child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Jersey attorney general’s office even asked Planned Parenthood, which profits<\/a> from abortions, to help him draft the consumer alert and then thanked the organization<\/a> for its \u201cpartnership,\u201d as shown in First Choice Women\u2019s Resource Centers, Inc. v. Platkin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unsatisfied, Platkin issued a sweeping subpoena to First Choice, demanding that it produce “over a decade\u2019s worth” of documentation<\/a>, including the identities, phone numbers and personal addresses of nearly 5,000 of its donors. All this despite the fact that the attorney general has not identified a single complaint<\/a> against First Choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We believe that these demands are politically motivated retaliation for First Choice\u2019s pro-life viewpoint. And they rob New Jersey women of the practical help and support that First Choice provides.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disclosure would create a chilling effect for donors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Platkin\u2019s subpoena also violates the Constitution. The First Amendment<\/a> protects the right to associate and to do so privately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because revealing one\u2019s membership or support for an advocacy group tells the world about a person\u2019s most deeply held beliefs, the Supreme Court has held that donors have a constitutional right to anonymously support causes.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It stands to reason that donors to First Choice would be unlikely to donate knowing their information could be exposed to a state official who has a history of hostility toward pro-life viewpoints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because Platkin\u2019s subpoena squelches the First Amendment rights of First Choice and its donors, the pregnancy center filed a federal lawsuit urging the courts to protect those freedoms. The lower courts dismissed<\/a> the lawsuit without even reviewing the First Amendment issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the U.S. Supreme Court, New Jersey’s attorney general is arguing that subpoenas generally may not be challenged in federal court until a state court first enforces them<\/a>. But when that happens, other judicial doctrines would effectively close the federal courthouse door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That violates the promise of the Civil Rights Act of 1871 <\/a>\u2013 that victims of unconstitutional treatment by state officials are entitled to seek relief in federal court, rather than be relegated to state court. We at Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents First Choice, are asking the Supreme Court to affirm our client\u2019s right to its day in federal court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Harassment shouldn’t be tolerated<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This case will set a crucial precedent for pregnancy centers nationwide facing similar harassment and intimidation by state officials. Take, for example, California<\/a> and New York<\/a>, where attorneys general have attempted to censor pro-life pregnancy centers that tell women it might be possible to reverse<\/a> the life-ending effects of the abortion drug mifepristone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not long after the Supreme Court reversed Roe, pregnancy centers in multiple states were vandalized<\/a> and firebombed<\/a>. Many of them are still awaiting justice<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pregnancy centers should be free to serve women and offer the support they need without fear of unjust government retaliation. Women facing unplanned pregnancies should be able to access the support and services they deserve to make informed decisions about their pregnancies.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Supreme Court has a chance to safeguard First Choice\u2019s right to challenge Platkin\u2019s unconstitutional actions in federal court and to discourage other state actors from making the same mistakes. Let\u2019s allow First Choice to get back to doing what it does best: Serving women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Erin\u00a0Hawley\u00a0is senior counsel and vice president of the Center for Life and regulatory practice with\u00a0Alliance Defending Freedom<\/a>\u00a0(@ADFLegal<\/a>), which represents First Choice Women\u2019s Resource Centers.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Erin Hawley, Opinion Contributor, originally published December 2, 2025, USA Today The mantra from pro-abortion politicians used to be that abortion should be safe, legal and rare. Now, many of those same politicians say that women should \u201cshout their abortions.\u201d They wrap their pro-abortion agenda in pretty packaging with words like \u201cchoice\u201d and \u201creproductive health care,\u201d but…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35391,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nSupreme Court, end harassment of pro-life pregnancy centers - Cincinnati Right to Life<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cincinnatirighttolife.org\/supreme-court-end-harassment-of-pro-life-pregnancy-centers\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Supreme Court, end harassment of pro-life pregnancy centers - 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