FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leslie Palma
917-697-7039
TITUSVILLE, FL -- Priests for Life National Director Frank Pavone issued the following statement today regarding a split decision in federal court in a case against an Illinois law that compels pro-life health care professionals to refer patients for abortion.
The case was brought by the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) and three pregnancy centers. The Thomas More Society represented the centers, and has said it will appeal.
“We at Priests for Life have worked side by side with NIFLA and with the Thomas More Society to defend the rights of pregnancy centers and pro-life advocates, and will continue to stand with them as this decision is appealed,” Pavone said.
“The Supreme Court already gave pregnancy centers a significant victory in NIFLA v. Becerra in 2018, ruling they could not be forced to let people know where abortion facilities are. It’s like requiring Alcoholics Anonymous to refer people to the local liquor store. Trying to find a way around that now in Illinois is both cowardly and judicially imprudent.”
Pavone continued: “Whichever way you slice it, you can’t force Americans, in word or action, to violate their conscience. If the judge is going to distinguish speech from action, he digs an even deeper hole for himself. To compel someone in speech is bad enough, but to compel someone to send a baby to her death is not only unconstitutional, it’s inhuman, and we will not tolerate it.”