In a significant development, New York Attorney General Letitia James has been hit with a preliminary injunction by a U.S. District Judge, limiting her attempts to potentially sue pro-life pregnancy centers in the state.
As reported by Gateway Pundit, James had previously issued a "Notice of Intention to Sue" to several pregnancy help organizations in April, accusing them of misleading statements about 'abortion pill reversal' (APR) protocols.
According to Gateway Pundit, James had sent these threatening letters to at least a dozen organizations, giving them a mere five days to respond. In response, a group of these organizations filed a lawsuit against the AG to prevent the threatened prosecutions. In a move that was seen as an attempt to shift the case to a more favorable venue, James tried to move the lawsuit from Rochester to New York County Court in Manhattan. However, her efforts were thwarted by New York Supreme Court Justice Sam Valleriani.
Justice Valleriani issued a consolidation order on May 24, 2024, merging a lawsuit initiated by James against pregnancy help organizations in Manhattan with the previously filed case in Rochesters Monroe County Court. This latest development is seen as a limited victory for pro-life advocates, specifically those represented by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
As reported by Just the News, U.S. District Judge John Sinatra's order imposing the preliminary injunction on James was prefaced with a quote from George Orwells dystopian novel Nineteen Eighty-Four: "The First Amendment does not allow the United States to adopt 'Oceanias Ministry of Truth.'" This injunction restricts James from enforcing state consumer fraud laws against the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), Giannas House, and Options Care Center, which had filed a lawsuit in May.
The injunction protects these organizations from prosecution for referring to APR, calling it safe and effective, or directing people to the APR Hotline and website in their ads, social media, and promotional materials. ADF Senior Counsel Caleb Dalton, who argued before the court last week, commented on the ruling, stating, Women in New York have literally saved their babies from an in-progress chemical drug abortion because they had access to information through their local pregnancy centers about using safe and effective progesterone for abortion pill reversal. But the attorney general tried to deny women the opportunity to even hear about this life-saving option.
Dalton further emphasized the importance of women having the option to reconsider an abortion, and the role of pro-life pregnancy centers in providing truthful information about this choice. He concluded, The court was right to affirm the pregnancy centers freedom to tell interested women about this life-saving treatment option. This case underscores the ongoing tension between pro-life advocates and those who seek to limit their ability to provide information and services to women considering abortion.
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