Pro-life activists have slapped New York Attorney General Letitia James with a lawsuit alleging she violated their constitutional rights with egregious crackdowns on their freedom of speech.
In May, the Democrat filed lawsuits against 11 pregnancy centers across the state, declaring they were spreading dangerous “misleading” information about progesterone, a medication used to reverse the negative effects of a chemical abortion. Now, activists are fighting back in a suit of their own led by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, Gianna’s House and Options Care Center, arguing James’ attempt to “censor” their beliefs about the abortion supplement is “unconstitutional,” according to a copy of the complaint obtained by the Daily Caller.
“Having cited some of these studies in her lawsuit against other pro-life pregnancy centers in state court, the Attorney General knows full well that the contested statements about progesterone treatment are supported by research but targeted centers that tell women about this option because of the centers’ pro-life viewpoint and the content of their speech,” the lawsuit reads.
In the initial suit, James claims that the centers and a pro-life nonprofit were committing “deceptive acts and practices” and said that “abortions cannot be reversed.” She added that the organizations demonstrated no “scientific proof” about their claims that progesterone could reverse the effects of an abortion pill.
Pro-life centers have held up progesterone as a medication they claim can prevent miscarriages in some cases and has an efficacy rate between 64 and 68%, the outlet adds. Activists cited as evidence a 2018 study that concluded 48% of women who “underwent progesterone treatment within 72 hours after taking mifepristone” were able to give birth.
“Many women regret their abortions, and some seek to stop the effects of chemical abortion drugs before taking the second drug in the abortion drug process. Taking supplemental progesterone at that time can often save their baby’s life,” Gabriella McIntyre, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, which is representing the plaintiffs, said in a press release. “The New York attorney general, however, is doing everything she can to deny women the freedom to make that choice. Women should have the option to reconsider going through with an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform them about that choice. We are urging the court to affirm the pregnancy centers’ freedom to tell interested women about this lawful, life-saving treatment.”
James did not immediately respond to a comment sought by the Caller.
Pro-life organizers have accused President Joe Biden and allies like James of hampering their ability to counter access to abortions in blue states with measures of their own through literature and access to medical advice at pregnancy resource centers. The centers, which counsel women against pursuing abortions, offer access to resources to support new mothers. Those in blue states took on new scrutiny in the two years since the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade.
NBC News previously reported that Democrats’ attempts to rein in pro-life abortion counseling have largely failed. Even Planned Parenthood has admitted that strategies intended to circumvent pro-life free speech protections are challenging.
“Lawmakers want to find solutions that don’t violate CPC rights, but that do protect patient rights. It’s really, really challenging, so you see different places going at it differently,” Callie Wells, a policy counsel at Planned Parenthood, told NBC in 2023. “But it’s been a long time since a provision limiting or regulating a CPC has been upheld,” she said, adding that for years, “we haven’t seen too much success from the state legislative route.”
