LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that Judge William Pauley ruled in favor of the city's pro-life centers, saying an ordinance that would have forced them to prominently state on their premises and advertising that they do not provide abortions would cause irreparable harm to their First Amendment rights.
The law, which passed by a 39-9 vote in March and had the backing of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, also would have required centers to detail whether they provide emergency contraception and if there is a licensed medical provider on-site. Proponents said the law was a matter of consumer protection and truth in advertising, claiming that centers use deceptive tactics and false claims to persuade women not to have abortions.
Opponents of the law argued that it violated free speech rights and was motivated mostly by politics.
In what the New York Times called an "often tart" 22-page ruling, Judge Pauley sided with the pregnancy centers, saying that the city's definition of commercial speech was too broad.
As a result, he concluded, because the new law “relates to the provision of emergency contraception and abortion — among the most controversial issues in our public discourse — the risk of discriminatory enforcement is high.”
City officials are expected to appeal the decision and have vowed to fight on, but opponents are confident that since a similar law was struck down in Baltimre recently, the judge's decision with ultimately be upheld.
“We think this is a resounding defeat of the Gestapo-like tactics of Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg,” said Chris Slattery, founder of Expectant Mother Care/EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, a plaintiff that operates about a dozen centers in the city. “This is one of the most important First Amendment decisions in American history, and will very strongly boost pro-life free speech initiatives and protect pregnancy centers not only here in New York, but across America.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
Big Win in Court for New York City Pregnancy Centers!
By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A U.S. District Court judge in New York City granted a preliminary injunction yesterday to pregnancy care centers that will block enforcement of a gag law that would have gone into effect today.
LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that Judge William Pauley ruled in favor of the city's pro-life centers, saying an ordinance that would have forced them to prominently state on their premises and advertising that they do not provide abortions would cause irreparable harm to their First Amendment rights.
The law, which passed by a 39-9 vote in March and had the backing of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, also would have required centers to detail whether they provide emergency contraception and if there is a licensed medical provider on-site. Proponents said the law was a matter of consumer protection and truth in advertising, claiming that centers use deceptive tactics and false claims to persuade women not to have abortions.
Opponents of the law argued that it violated free speech rights and was motivated mostly by politics.
In what the New York Times called an "often tart" 22-page ruling, Judge Pauley sided with the pregnancy centers, saying that the city's definition of commercial speech was too broad.
As a result, he concluded, because the new law “relates to the provision of emergency contraception and abortion — among the most controversial issues in our public discourse — the risk of discriminatory enforcement is high.”
City officials are expected to appeal the decision and have vowed to fight on, but opponents are confident that since a similar law was struck down in Baltimre recently, the judge's decision with ultimately be upheld.
“We think this is a resounding defeat of the Gestapo-like tactics of Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg,” said Chris Slattery, founder of Expectant Mother Care/EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, a plaintiff that operates about a dozen centers in the city. “This is one of the most important First Amendment decisions in American history, and will very strongly boost pro-life free speech initiatives and protect pregnancy centers not only here in New York, but across America.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that Judge William Pauley ruled in favor of the city's pro-life centers, saying an ordinance that would have forced them to prominently state on their premises and advertising that they do not provide abortions would cause irreparable harm to their First Amendment rights.
The law, which passed by a 39-9 vote in March and had the backing of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, also would have required centers to detail whether they provide emergency contraception and if there is a licensed medical provider on-site. Proponents said the law was a matter of consumer protection and truth in advertising, claiming that centers use deceptive tactics and false claims to persuade women not to have abortions.
Opponents of the law argued that it violated free speech rights and was motivated mostly by politics.
In what the New York Times called an "often tart" 22-page ruling, Judge Pauley sided with the pregnancy centers, saying that the city's definition of commercial speech was too broad.
As a result, he concluded, because the new law “relates to the provision of emergency contraception and abortion — among the most controversial issues in our public discourse — the risk of discriminatory enforcement is high.”
City officials are expected to appeal the decision and have vowed to fight on, but opponents are confident that since a similar law was struck down in Baltimre recently, the judge's decision with ultimately be upheld.
“We think this is a resounding defeat of the Gestapo-like tactics of Christine Quinn and Mayor Bloomberg,” said Chris Slattery, founder of Expectant Mother Care/EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, a plaintiff that operates about a dozen centers in the city. “This is one of the most important First Amendment decisions in American history, and will very strongly boost pro-life free speech initiatives and protect pregnancy centers not only here in New York, but across America.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
