U.S. SENATE – Senator Steve Daines today led the filing of a bipartisan, bicameral amicus brief calling on the Supreme Court of the United States to protect Americans’ constitutional right to freedom of speech and religious liberty as it considers National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra.
National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra challenges the constitutionality of California law AB 775, also known as the Reproductive FACT Act, which forces California pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise for abortions and requires non-medical pregnancy care centers to publish large disclaimers of their non-medical status.
“Pro-life pregnancy centers play a critical role in providing life-affirming support to pregnant women facing difficult pregnancy decisions. But under AB 775, these organizations – many of which are religious nonprofits – would be compelled to advertise the very abortions that they are morally opposed to,” said Daines. “California’s coercive law does not simply restrict these centers’ speech, it fundamentally alters it – in turn violating the centers’ constitutionally protected conscience rights. I call on the Supreme Court to uphold the First Amendment and strike down this unconstitutional law.”
The amicus brief, which was cosigned by 16 members of the U.S. Senate and 128 members of the U.S. House, was filed in support of the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and pro-life pregnancy centers across the nation. It reviews Congress’s long history of protecting freedom of conscience, particularly in the area of abortion, and it urges the Supreme Court to strike down the California law.
Today’s filing also coincides with the beginning of National March for Life week. The 45th Annual March for Life, which regularly brings more than 600,000 marchers to the nation’s capital, is scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C. on Friday, January 19, 2018.
The full amicus brief is available HERE.
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