Federal judge blocks Letitia James' crackdown on NY crisis pregnancy centers

Though New York Attorney General Letitia James may be riding high due to a series of victories in her lawfare against Donald Trump, she was just dealt a notable setback in another, unrelated matter.

As the Daily Wire reports, a federal judge on Thursday determined that a number of crisis pregnancy centers would retain the right to speak about abortion pill reversal methods, despite James' attempts to hinder their ability to present information on the matter.

Judge limits James' crackdown

Trump-appointed Judge John Sinatra, Jr. issued a preliminary injunction against James that prevents her from taking legal action against the aforementioned centers, and in doing so, he cited concerns about infringement of their First Amendment rights.

The injunctive relief was granted to the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, the Options Care Center, and Gianna's House, all centers that had been sued by James in an effort to halt their promotion of abortion pill reversal methods.

The protocols at issue involves the use of a particular dose of progesterone in hopes of potentially reversing the impact of medical abortion drugs and saving an unborn child if an expectant mother has second thoughts about terminating the pregnancy.

As Fox News notes, Sinatra ruled that the pregnancy centers were entitled to the injunctive relief requested, stating that “no abstention doctrine applies. And no other prudential, discretionary or equitable obstacle to such relief exists.”

Sinatra further stated that James “in her official capacity, as well as her officers, agents, employees, attorneys and all personal in active concert or participation with her” were halted from attempts to enforce consumer fraud laws against the centers simply for discussing the promoting the protocol.

Pro-life advocates laud ruling

Alliance Defending Freedom represented the pregnancy centers involved in the controversy, and organization lawyer Caleb Dalton weighed in after Sinatra made his ruling.

“Women in New York have literally saved their babies from an in-progress chemical drug abortion because they had access to information through their local pregnancy centers about using safe and effective progesterone for abortion pill reversal,” Dalton said.

He went on, “But the attorney general tried to deny women the opportunity to even hear about this life-saving option.”

“Taking supplemental progesterone may give them a second chance to save their baby's life. Women should have the option to reconsider an abortion, and the pro-life pregnancy centers we represent in this case truthfully inform them about that choice,” Dalton continued.

That position was in concert with the principles stated by Sinatra, who wrote in his decision, “Indeed, the very purpose of the First Amendment is to foreclose public authority from assuming a guardianship of the public mind through regulating the press, speech, and religion,” though sadly, that sort of conduct has been the stock-in-trade if Democrats like James for far too long.