Judge Rules California Can’t Require Pregnancy Centers to Provide Information on Govt Abortion Programs

By Heather Clark - Posted at Christian News Network:

Published 10.31.2017

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — A superior court judge in California has ruled that a state law requiring pro-life pregnancy centers to provide information about government abortion programs runs afoul of the California Constitution.

“Here, the State commands clinics to post specific directions for whom to contact to obtain an abortion. It forces the clinic to point the way to the abortion clinic and can leave patients with the belief they were referred to an abortion provider by that clinic. … In Scharpen’s case that would be inaccurate, profoundly inaccurate,” wrote Judge Gloria Trask.

She said that there are other ways for the government to get its message out besides forcing those who are opposed to abortion to provide the information.

“Compelled speech must be subject to reasonable limitation,” Trask said. “The statute compels the clinic to speak words with which it profoundly disagrees when the state has numerous alternative methods of publishing its message. … In this case, however virtuous the State’s ends, they do not justify its means.”

Read more here.