Pregnancy resource center sues state attorney general for censorship

A new lawsuit alleges that California Attorney General Rob Bonta is illegally hampering state pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) from talking to women about so-called “abortion pill reversal” (APR) – arguing that Bonta’s actions violate their constitutional rights.

The lawsuit, filed on October 2 by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and its California member SCV Pregnancy Resource Center, states that the California AG’s “credible threat of prosecution” was hindering them from their ministry, which includes giving supplemental progesterone to women who regret taking the abortion pill. The lawsuit alleges AG Bonta’s actions violate their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

“The Constitution protects Plaintiffs’ right to speak to the public and women about lawful medical treatments provided by licensed medical professionals,” the lawsuit argues. Talking to women about the APR protocol, plaintiffs say, means the PRCs could be “subject to injunctions, civil penalties of up to $2,500 per ‘violation,’ and potential jail time.”

Bonta has turned up the pressure against pro-life activities in recent years. After the Supreme Court Dobbs decision overturned Roe v. Wade, the AG published a consumer warning targeting pro-life PRCs. Additionally, he published a state webpage encouraging people “who believe their right to reproductive healthcare, including accessing abortion, has been violated” to report PRCs. In 2023, Bonta sued two PRC chains in the state for offering information about APR, falsely claiming the pro-life protocol lacks scientific backing.

As Live Action News has reported, there are several studies with very good preliminary evidence that show that “abortion pill reversal” is effective and that bioidentical progesterone – a hormone made naturally by the body – is safe. In fact, the ADF’s lawsuit claims that AG Bonta is aware of these studies, and alleges his ultimate goal is to prevent pro-life speech.

“The Attorney General cites some of those studies in his lawsuit, so he knows that scientific research supports the statements at issue,” the lawsuit alleges. “Yet he has chosen to target organizations that tell women about this option because of their pro-life viewpoint and the content of their speech.”

Caleb Dalton, Senior Counsel with ADF, emphasized that depriving women of this kind of information hinders their ability to make fully informed decisions.

“Access to information is a hallmark of a free society and is essential to making informed medical choices. But California’s attorney general is silencing pregnancy centers and censoring information about life-saving medical options,” Dalton said in a statement on the ADF’s website. “Attorney General Bonta and his allies at Planned Parenthood may not like it, but the truth is that many women regret their abortions, and some seek to stop the effects of chemical abortion drugs before taking the second drug in the abortion drug process. Women deserve to know all their options every step of the way.”

He added, “Every woman should have the option to reconsider going through with an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform women about that choice. We are urging the court to affirm the pregnancy centers’ freedom to tell the public about this lawful, life-saving treatment.”

PRCs in New York successfully brought a similar suit against their state’s AG, who likewise threatened to sue them for “misleading statements” regarding APR.

[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by Live Action News.]

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