Black Community News News and Commentary for Christians
The Vermont legislature passed a bill in 2023 that blocked pro-life pregnancy centers, whose mission is to protect unborn life, from what lawmakers called false and misleading advertising about their services. The governor signed the bill into law.
Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), which represents a coalition of pro-life pregnancy centers, said the law “censors the centers’ ability to advertise their free services. Second, it precludes centers from offering services, information, and counseling unless provided by a licensed health-care provider.”
The law is vague, the centers said, and applies only to facilities that don’t kill unborn babies or refer women for abortions.
ADF filed a lawsuit on behalf of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Aspire Now, and Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Vermont.
The pregnancy centers have received the news they’ve been waiting for. ADF announced last week that the state of Vermont has amended the law and no longer will target pregnancy centers that exist to protect the unborn, not destroy them.
“Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should know they have life-affirming options available to them, from emotional support to practical resources, which is exactly what our clients offer,” said Julia Payne Koon, ADF legal counsel. “We’re pleased that Vermont recognized it needed to amend its discriminatory law that unlawfully targeted faith-based pregnancy centers and restricted their ability to speak and act according to their conscience.”
Photo credit: Alliance Defending Freedom
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