{"id":277147,"date":"2022-10-04T16:44:58","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T21:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=277147"},"modified":"2022-10-04T14:40:52","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T19:40:52","slug":"pregnancy-centers-warn-sanctions-violate-first-amendment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/pregnancy-centers-warn-sanctions-violate-first-amendment\/","title":{"rendered":"Pregnancy centers warn that sanctions could violate their First Amendment rights"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A group of Massachusetts-area Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC), under attack from abortion groups like Jane\u2019s Revenge, is reaching out to a hostile state Attorney General to demand equal protection under the law.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Massachusetts Family Institute (MFI) recently teamed up with the First Liberty Institute and <\/span>sent a letter<\/span><\/a> to the Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey on behalf of a coalition of Massachusetts-based PRCs. In the letter, the PRCs plead for help, reminding the Attorney General of her duty to protect <\/span>all<\/span><\/i> Massachusetts citizens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The public interest groups have gotten involved in the wake of a spate of attacks on local PRCs, which are part of an increasing pattern of nationwide violence against pro-life institutions since the overturning of <\/span>Roe v. Wade<\/span><\/i>. The letter cites a number of local attacks \u2013 some of which are federal crimes \u2013 consisting of violence, vandalism, and threats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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But to date help has not been forthcoming. Attorney General Healey has been signaling hostility towards pro-life institutions and targeting PRCs in particular. In July, the Attorney General <\/span>threatened to seek civil sanctions<\/span><\/a> against the PRCs for alleged \u201ccivil rights\u201d violations by \u201cattempting to interfere\u201d with the \u201cright\u201d to an abortion. Around the same time, the Attorney General\u2019s Office released a \u201cconsumer advisory\u201d against PRCs and encouraged consumers to file complaints against PRCs with her office.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEach of our clients are concerned by your office\u2019s recent actions against pregnancy resource centers along with its refusal to enforce the law to protect these centers from the wave of criminal actions taken against them,\u201d the letter\u2019s text says. \u201cThese are the groups you targeted with your letter: men and women, motivated by their faith to provide medical and professional counseling services and give away diapers, baby wipes, and hand-knitted baby booties to those in need. Rather than protect these faith-based organizations providing professional reproductive health services, as is the duty of your office, your letter has placed them in further jeopardy.\u201d The letter notes that \u201cmore than one has faced violent threats and vandalism of their facilities\u201d that have made women in need \u201cnow scared to approach these reproductive health facilities.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n