‘Extremist’: State Attorneys General Weaponizing Laws to Attack Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

For decades, pro-life pregnancy centers have faced attacks from abortion providers and their political allies including federal, state, and local governments.
    
Recently, several pro-life lawmakers on Capitol Hill have set out to change that by introducing legislation designed to keep these centers and their employees safe.
   
In addition to protection, the “Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025” would prohibit government discrimination and retaliation against care centers that refuse to point to abortion as an option. Pro-life lawmakers maintain the measure is needed now more than ever.

“Notwithstanding any other law, the federal government and any individual or entity that receives federal financial assistance, including any state or local government, may not penalize or retaliate against an entity because the entity offers life-affirming support and resources to women facing unexpected pregnancy or offers life-affirming alternatives to abortion or refrains from abortion actions,” said Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ).

Several GOP House members joined Smith to unveil the legislation.   

Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe versus Wade, violent attacks on crisis pregnancy centers increased. In 2022 alone, more than 100 such attacks took place nationwide, including firebombings, vandalism and deadly threats, yet authorities did not make one single arrest at that time. 

Now certain states are joining the fight against pro-life centers, weaponizing various laws to stop them from saving lives. 

Gabriella McIntyre, legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), highlighted cases that the group is involved in representing  several pro-life clinics under attack. 

“Pregnancy resource centers have been harassed not only by these blue state attorneys general and these legislatures who are attempting to pass these censorship laws and otherwise trying to prevent and interfere with these Pregnancy Resource Centers’ missions, but they’ve also been receiving it from the public,” McIntyre told CBN News.

In a New Jersey case, ADF is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider state Attorney General Matthew Platki’s investigation into the faith-based First Choice Women’s Resource Centers as unconstitutional. That is because he is demanding the group identify donors and produce up to 10 years of its internal, confidential documents.

“This is coming from a very hostile attorney general who has said to consumers, he has issued a consumer alert stating that these pregnancy resource centers are bad for women, that they should go to Planned Parenthood instead,” McIntyre explained. “He’s also made many public statements calling these pregnancy resource centers extremists, all because their viewpoint on abortion is different from his.”

In New York, Attorney General Letitia James is using her power to censor pregnancy centers, to block them from advising women about the option of using progesterone to reverse the effect of abortion pills in cases of abortion regret.

“That’s what these pregnancy resource centers want to be able to speak about. Letitia James, if she has her way, would prevent women from even knowing that they have this choice,” said McIntyre. 

And the state of Illinois has been sued over adding “reproductive health decisions” last year to its Human Rights Act. The law now can stop religious organizations from only hiring employees who share the ministry’s pro-life beliefs.

Many say such actions highlight how politicians and the abortion industry consider crisis pregnancy care centers as a true threat. 

“Why would they spend their time attacking pregnancy centers if they weren’t effective, if they weren’t actually helping women and babies,” said Jamie Dangers of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. “And to me, that is a huge testament of the effectiveness of letting these pregnancy centers serve.”

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