Springfield | A pro-life group immediately filed a federal lawsuit to stop implementation of the new “Deceptive Practices” Act aimed at pregnancy resource centers on July 27, the same day Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signed the bill into law. SB 1909, the Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act, will require more than 100 pro-life centers 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).
The lawsuit filed by The Thomas More Society names Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul 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.
The Thomas More Society’s Peter Breen called the law, “A blatant attempt to chill and silence pro-life speech under the guise of ‘consumer protection.’” Pro-life advocates say the legislation does not clearly define deceptive information or who would make that determination. They also say it unfairly targets religious speech in violation of the First and Fourteenth amendments of the U.S. Constitution, because many centers are operated by religious organizations or charities.
BCHFS Executive Director Kevin Carrothers told the Illinois Baptist the bill’s signing is “disheartening and presents potentially significant challenges to pregnancy resource center ministry in Illinois. However, challenges such as this offer the body of Christ the opportunity to communicate God’s perspective on the sanctity of life and the good news of redemption, forgiveness and salvation found in Christ alone.”
Despite those challenges Carrothers said, “The ministry of BCHFS is committed to providing Christ-centered services that point people to Jesus. GraceHaven Pregnancy Resource Clinic, a ministry of BCHFS, will continue to offer biblical truth and information to women who are expecting, so that they may choose life.”
Breen stated in a press release July 27 that the new law faults pro-life organizations for “pay[ing] for advertising… that is intended to attract consumers to their organizations and away from medical providers that offer” abortions, accusing the pro-life organizations of providing misleading information “overstating the risks associated with abortion.” However, Breen noted in the filing that the abortion-related information provided by the pro-life centers and organizations is backed by scientific research.
“This bill is a brazen attack on pro-life pregnancy resource centers,” said Mary Kate Zander, Executive Director of Illinois Right to Life (IRL). “[Freedom of Information Act] requests determined there have been zero complaints filed against pro-life pregnancy centers, yet Attorney General Raoul and sponsors of this bill have repeatedly pointed to unsubstantiated accounts to justify this legislation.” In statements immediately after Pritzker signed the law, Zander called it “a clear violation of free speech and an attack on Illinois’ pro-life movement.”
The Thomas More Society is representing NIFLA which it describes as “a national pregnancy help center network” in addition to multiple other pregnancy centers and pro-life organizations within Illinois. In 2018 NIFLA successfully took then-California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to the U.S. Supreme Court, overturning a similar state law targeting pregnancy centers in that state. Becerra now serves as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Western Division, seeks a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and permanent injunction against SB 1909. The “deceptive practices” bill was sponsored by Sen. Celina Villaneuva (D-12) and Rep. Terra Costa Howard (D-42).
Emphasizing the importance of the work pregnancy centers do, Carrothers said, “These Christ-centered services include discussing God’s view about life and creation, praying with clients, sharing the good news of Jesus.” They also help women understand the reality of their unborn child by “providing information about what happens to an infant during both a chemical and procedural abortion, and by offering ultrasounds showing the infant and heartbeat.”
This is the kind of information abortion rights activists are branding as “deceptive.”