In a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of faith-based crisis pregnancy centers by striking down a California law forcing them to present abortion — the exact thing they exist to try to prevent — as an option to expectant mothers seeking services.
#SCOTUS blocks California law requiring anti-abortion nonprofits to inform pregnant patients about availability of free or low-cost abortions elsewhere & inability to provide medical help
— SCOTUSblog (@SCOTUSblog) June 26, 2018
The court said the law violated the First Amendment by forcing facilities established by groups who believe abortion is murder to advertise information on them.
The decision was a win for the clinics, known as “crisis pregnancy centers,” which had argued the requirements under the state’s Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency Act, or FACT Act, infringed on their speech rights, forcing them to promote a procedure they morally oppose.
Justice Clarence Thomas delivered the opinion of the court, which Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch joined.
Justice Stephen Breyer filed a dissenting opinion, which Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined.
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