A coalition of “crisis pregnancy centers” has filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Massachusetts, challenging a $1 million taxpayer-funded campaign initiated by Governor Maura Healey. The campaign, launched in June, aims to discourage individuals from seeking services from these centers, which are often affiliated with religious groups and advise clients against abortion.
State Campaign Targets Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The Massachusetts initiative includes a comprehensive public outreach effort, featuring ads on social media, billboards, radio, and buses. The ads warn the public to avoid these centers, labeling them as “anti-abortion” and cautioning that they do not provide comprehensive reproductive health care.
Governor Healey, a Democrat and former state attorney general, has defended the campaign, stating, “We are going to continue to stand strong for reproductive freedom here in Massachusetts.”
Legal Challenge Cites Constitutional Violations
In response to the campaign, the crisis pregnancy centers, represented by the Washington-based American Center for Law and Justice, filed a lawsuit earlier this month in federal court. The lawsuit names Governor Healey, State Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein, and Rebecca Hart Holder, Executive Director of the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, as defendants.
The plaintiffs argue that the state’s campaign violates their First Amendment rights to free speech and equal protection under the law. The lawsuit alleges that the state is engaging in religious discrimination by targeting the centers, which promote anti-abortion views rooted in their religious beliefs.
“This campaign involves selective law enforcement prosecution, public threats, and even a state-sponsored advertising campaign with a singular goal – to deprive [crisis pregnancy centers] of their First Amendment rights,” the lawsuit states.
State’s Defense and Broader Context
Governor Healey has dismissed the lawsuit as “frivolous” and expressed confidence that the state’s legal team is prepared to defend the campaign. “We are about making sure that women in this state have access to the care that they and their families need,” she said.
Commissioner Goldstein of the Department of Public Health defended the initiative when it was first announced, stating, “Every day, individuals in the commonwealth walk into anti-abortion centers unaware that these facilities are masquerading as comprehensive medical providers and pose a significant risk to the health and well-being of those seeking help.”