Rockford | Late on August 3, a federal judge in United States District Court granted a motion filed by the Thomas More Society to immediately block a new Illinois law which only effected pro-life crisis pregnancy centers. The lawsuit, National Institute of Family Life Advocates et al. v. Raoul, asserts that the law—enacted on July 27 amending the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act—was designed to target pregnancy help ministries solely because of their pro-life message.
After hearing four hours of testimony in an emergency hearing, U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston called the new law “painfully and blatantly a violation of the First Amendment.”
“Free Speech won today in the Land of Lincoln—pro-life advocates across Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief they won’t be pursued for ‘misinformation’ by Attorney General Kwame Raoul,” stated Peter Breen, Executive Vice President, and Head of Litigation for the Thomas More Society.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul’s office drafted the law and is charged with enforcing it under the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. If allowed to stand, the new law could result in fines of up to $50,000 on pro-life centers for providing what abortion advocates deemed “deceptive” information.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is in favor of the law and issued a statement expressing confidence that the judge’s ruling would be overturned. “This law is constitutional,” said the governor, “and I am confident that the law will ultimately be found constitutional, and we’ll continue to work alongside Attorney General Raoul to ensure Illinois patients are protected from misinformation.”
Breen celebrated the win in a state where the pro-life cause rarely sees outcomes in its favor. “Across the nation, pregnancy help ministries are being discriminated against by laws that target their life-affirming work,” said Breen. “The injunction granted today sends a strong, clear message to the country that the First Amendment protects pro-life speech.”
SB 1909, the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act, would require the more than 100 pro-life centers in the state to provide abortion information to their clients. That includes GraceHaven Pregnancy Resource Clinic in Mt. Vernon, a ministry operated by the Baptist Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS).