Attorney General Ken Paxton praised today’s 5-4 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a California law requiring pro-life crisis pregnancy centers to post signs about taxpayer-funded abortions. The Reproductive FACT Act forced pregnancy centers to convey a message that directly contradicts their deeply held religious beliefs and mission, which is to provide care for expectant mothers.
“As today’s Supreme Court decision recognizes, that the state of California could compel nonprofit crisis pregnancy centers to assist their patients in obtaining an abortion is an obvious infringement on free speech and conscience,” Attorney General Paxton said. “California’s scheme aggressively targeted the pro-life medical community by forcing them to relay a state-sponsored message about abortions against their will. I commend the Supreme Court for striking down this offensive law.”
In January, Attorney General Paxton, leading a 22-state coalition, filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court, asking it to overturn a ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that upheld the California law.
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a city of Baltimore law similar to California’s this year. Attorney General Paxton joined a 10-state coalition in a friend-of-the-court brief supporting the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns in its challenge of the ordinance.