Abortion returns to Supreme Court
Law targets pregnancy centers that California says deceive women
WASHINGTON – The abortion debate is returning to the Supreme Court, but it’s more about the debate than the procedure itself.
A California law requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to post information about state-funded abortion services is the latest in a flurry of high court cases concerning “compelled speech.”
In December, the justices heard a Colorado baker argue that he should not be forced to create a wedding cake for a gay couple. Last month, they heard an Illinois state employee contend that he should not have to contribute to his public-sector union.
On Tuesday, the court will hear a challenge brought by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, which operates pregnancy centers nationwide. The group says California’s law forces them to promote a medical procedure they oppose.
“Free speech is at its greatest peril when the government targets speakers because officials disagree with the speakers’ thoughts and ideas,” the organization says in court papers, citing its “profound moral and ideological disagreement” with abortion.
While the Supreme Court legalized abortion in 1973 and has struck down state restrictions that block access for women, it has fervently defended freespeech rights in many recent cases.
That makes it likely the justices will not favor California’s law, which also requires that unlicensed pregnancy centers clearly state and advertise that they are not medical providers.
California, backed by abortion rights groups, claims such centers deceive and misinform clients by posing as medical clinics and running ads intended to attract women in search of traditional abortion and contraception services.
“Some centers that have no medical professionals and offer no medical services nevertheless outwardly resemble medical institutions – for instance, by using lab coats, forms, and office spaces resembling those at medical clinics, and by providing services such as ultrasounds and pregnancy testing,” the state argues in court papers.