Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey launched a $1 million taxpayer-funded initiative to discourage people from seeking help from “crisis pregnancy centers” that are typically religiously affiliated and counsel against having abortions. The campaign includes ads on social media, billboards, radio, and buses warning people to avoid these centers. Center operators are pushing back against the initiative, teaming with a conservative law firm to challenge the campaign, saying it infringes on their constitutional rights.
The lawsuit filed by the American Center for Law and Justice on behalf of Your Options Medical, which operates four anti-abortion pregnancy clinics in Massachusetts, alleges that the state initiative violates free speech and equal protection rights. The plaintiffs argue that the state is subjecting them to religious discrimination and partnering with a pro-abortion group to discredit and dismantle crisis pregnancy centers in the state. Governor Healey stated that the lawsuit will not dissuade the state from standing strong for reproductive freedom and ensuring women have access to the care they need.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, which collaborated with the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation to create the ad campaign, declined to comment on the lawsuit. The initiative aims to warn residents about anti-abortion centers and the potential harm they pose by suggesting abortion-related care without providing abortions, delaying health care, and relying on untrained staff. The state has set up a separate website to help residents access reproductive health care and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation has created an online map to alert those in need of abortions to what they describe as “fake abortion clinics.”
The Your Options Medical center, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health since 1999, operates a “pro-life mobile medical unit” in addition to its brick-and-mortar clinics. The Healey administration’s effort to educate residents about anti-abortion centers is believed to be the first-in-the-nation public education campaign highlighting the potential dangers of these centers. The lawsuit seeks to stop the state from falsely accusing YOM of misconduct or being a public safety threat in their campaign.
State reactions to anti-abortion pregnancy clinics have varied since the Supreme Court ended constitutional protections for abortion in 2022. Predominantly red states have approved funding for these organizations, while Democratic-leaning states have attempted to limit them. For example, California sued an anti-abortion group for misleading women with unproven treatments and Illinois passed a law penalizing anti-abortion counseling centers for using deception to interfere with clients. However, a U.S. District Judge blocked the Illinois law, citing a violation of the First Amendment.
