Left's latest lunge at free speech will leave you speechless

Oral arguments took place today in a critical Supreme Court case that will decide whether the government has the power to force citizens and pro-life organizations to promote abortion.

The case involves three pro-life crisis pregnancy centers who are fighting a California law that requires them to promote abortion. In general, California AB 775 requires licensed medical centers that offer free, pro-life help to pregnant women to post a disclosure in printed and digital materials, and at both the entrance to their clinic and a visible location within the waiting area saying that the state of California provides free or low-cost abortion and contraception services.

The disclosure must also include a phone number for a county office that refers women to Planned Parenthood and others in the abortion industry, and forces unlicensed pregnancy centers to disclose they are not recognized by the state of California as an official medical facility. The notice must be in a font size and/or color that draws more attention to the disclosure than to the other words on the page, which obscure and crowd out their pro-life speech. Failure to comply carries civil fines up to $1,000 per violation.

To force crisis pregnancy centers to speak a message that goes directly against their religious beliefs and mission to save lives is a shocking and disturbing violation of the First Amendment’s protection of free speech – both the right to speak and the right to not speak.

The pregnancy centers subjected to this attempt to silence them provide free care and resources to thousands of Californians. Many of these women are alone and desperate for support, and a pro-life pregnancy resource center may be the only non-abortive option available for disadvantaged mothers who wish to choose life.

It's no secret that pro-faith, pro-life, and pro-family citizens and organizations are coming under increasingly hostile attack. It would be a serious blow to both the pro-life movement and free speech overall if the state is allowed to require forced speech from any citizen or organization. The Supreme Court should declare the law unconstitutional so as to block other states from following in California’s steps.

Can you imagine the racket we'd hear if Planned Parenthood were forced to advertise on its website and "clinics" where women can go to save their babies’ lives? I’m sure the noise would be deafening.

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