NYC: Centers Under Legislative Attack

City Council Bill 371

This year New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a law that threatens to put our New York City Pregnancy Help Centers out of business. Bloomberg stated, "The law may be unconstitutional, but I'm going to sign it anyways."

The Law Facts in Brief:

• All abortion business (lisenced and unlisenced) are excluded.
• All pregnancy help center are included.
• Requires pregnancy help centers to post signage indicating what services they do and do not provide.
• Allows individuals to sue pregnancy help centers if they do not post a sign.
• Requires verbal disclosure to clients of services that pregnancy help centers do and do not provide.
• Limits protection for pregnancy help centers.

This is, without question, the biggest threat facing our pregnancy help center network since we started our pro-life outreach 40 years ago. There can be no doubt the abortionists understand clearly that the new law aims to stop the mission of pro-lifers.

NARAL proclaimed: "Victory: New York City Protects Women" and they called the anti-pregnancy center bill "groundbreaking." The president of the Center for Reproductive Rights said the bill represents, "a huge step in protecting women." Planned Parenthood said: "This legislation will go a long way toward ending deceptive practices by crisis pregnancy centers."

Immediately after the bill was signed into law, Heartbeat took action. A lawsuit against the city of New York was filed by Heartbeat's representative, ACLJ. The lawsuit seeks to defend the rights of pregnancy help centers in NYC and to strike down the unconstitutional law.

Why is this bill important? It is not only the biggest threat we face, but it severely undermines the one alternative to abortion that nearly 5 million women living in New York City currently have! As it stands right now, 41% of all pregnancies in NYC end in abortion—making it one of the highest abortion rates in the country. (Without our services, mothers and their unborn babies will be even more vulnerable to the abortionists.)

Victory  in NYC!  On July 13, Judge William Pauley issued a ruling granting a preliminary injunction prohibiting the new pro-abortion law from taking effect in New York City. The law was set to go into effect on July 14, however, the preliminary injuction handed down today will stop the law until a permanent decision is made.

ACLJ Senior Counsel, CeCe Heil:

"This measure violates crisis pregnancy centers' First and Fourteenth Amendment rights, specifically protected by the constitution. We are committed to protecting the rights of our clients and are urging the federal court to halt implementation of this ordinance and declare it unconstitutional. Similar ordinances have already been struck down in federal court and we have no doubt that this ordinance will be rejected as well."

The ACLJ will continue to urge the federal district court to permanently block any enforcement of the law, pointing out that the law is a violation of pregnancy help center's constitutional rights; especially the right to freedom of speech.

 The favorable NYC ruling is the beginning of what we hope will be many victories in courtrooms across our nation. By supporting Heartbeat International you are there with us, fighting to STOP this anti-pregnancy help center bill. It is vital for Heartbeat to have the resources to defend our centers that are caught in the crosshairs of this war on life. You can help defend pregnancy help centers in NYC and across the country that are facing dangerous legislation. Let your voice of support be heard by giving a gift today.

Hear from Chris Slattery, executive director of EMC pregnancy center in NYC, about the victory won for pregnancy help centers in the courts on New York City.

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