This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The American Center for Law and Justice has sued Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts, state officials and the radical abortion promoters with whom they have partnered because of an ongoing "vicious smear campaign" against pregnancy resource centers.
It accuses the defendants of scheming to deliver "targeted, false, and baseless accusations" and setting up "a system of informal censorship designed to suppress the pro-life viewpoint of our client, YOM (Your Options Medical), with the intent to obstruct, chill, deter, and retaliate against it for its speech."
"Our client, YOM, is fully compliant with state licensure requirements; it has never had an actual patient complaint and provides its services in full compliance with the law. But these defendants do not care and are accusing it of wrongdoing anyway, solely because of its pro-life position," the ACLJ report said.
The ACLJ pointed out it previously has worked on behalf of pro-life pregnancy resource centers.
"We have now also taken legal action and filed a complaint on behalf of one of those PRCs, Your Options Medical (YOM), against Massachusetts officials and their allies. With Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center serving as our local counsel, we have filed a major constitutional lawsuit in federal district court in Massachusetts."
The charges include that state officials orchestrated "an overt viewpoint-based discrimination campaign – including harassment, suppression, and threats against YOM and other PRCs. Directed by Governor Maura Healey, this pro-abortion smear campaign involves selective law enforcement prosecution, public threats, and even a state-sponsored advertising campaign with a singular goal – to deprive YOM and their counterparts of their First Amendment rights to voice freely their religious and political viewpoints regarding the sanctity of human life."
The state has partnered with a pro-abortion organization called Reproductive Equity Now Foundation to attack the pro-life centers, and has posted an entire section on the state's website promoting its "AVOID Anti-Abortion Centers" campaign.
It uses loaded words like "warning" to tell people, falsely, that "anti-abortion centers cause harm."
REN insists, "Anti-abortion centers often offer abstinence-only sex education, post-abortion support, spiritual support, or bible study. While some people need and want post-abortion counseling, and may seek it through their faith leaders, there is no scientific evidence that abortion results in adverse mental health outcomes."
Joining Healey as defendants are state health commissioner Robert Goldstein and REN and its director, Rebecca Hart Holder.
"Normally, a private entity like REN cannot be sued for a constitutional violation, but there is an exception: It can be held accountable when it acts on behalf of the state, which is exactly what happened here. REN and Executive Director Holder acted as the trusted partner of the state, with state funding and support, and in explicit partnership with Massachusetts officials to harass PRCs like YOM for their viewpoint," ACLJ reported.
The ACLJ reported, "Here the government has exercised its authority to target the viewpoint of pro-life groups for their pro-life religious views. Governor Healey publicly claimed that PRCs engage in deceptive and dangerous tactics; and as attorney general, she issued an advisory that falsely accused PRCs of deceptive advertising. Commissioner Goldstein unlawfully exercised his authority to accuse PRCs of wrongdoing, threatening them with legal action and making public statements saying, 'As the commissioner of public health, I'm resolute about calling out this deception for what it is: a public health threat.'"
The actions identified in the case provided support for the complaints about harassment, threats, unequal enforcement of the law based on political and religious beliefs.
"The Left is waging a coordinated assault to threaten pro-life pregnancy centers and stifle their views by burying them in complaints, punishments, and disciplines. Such a targeted system of harassment and discrimination is unprecedented and unconstitutional. Their choice of words goes far beyond mere disagreement or criticism; the state has repeatedly accused PRCs of illegal behavior like deception, misrepresentation, and fraud," ACLJ explained.
The impetus for the pro-abortion ideology isn't complicated: Dollars.
"Pro-life centers represent one of the biggest threats to abortionists' bottom lines – and our client is no exception. Abortionists like Planned Parenthood consider PRCs to be the competition. They will do anything to shut them down, and liberal politicians in Massachusetts have been all too eager to help. But in doing so, they have violated the U.S. Constitution."
