Federal court strikes down law forcing pro-life ministries to promote abortion

CNA Staff, Apr 10, 2025 / 17:00 pm (CNA).

Here is a roundup of recent pro-life and abortion-related news:

Illinois upholds free speech for pro-life ministries

A federal district court has struck down a law forcing pro-life ministries to promote abortion while upholding a law requiring physicians to refer patients to abortion providers. 

In a split decision issued on Friday, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois found that a law compelling pregnancy centers to promote the medical “benefits” of abortions violated freedom of speech protections.

U.S. District Court Judge Iain Johnston ruled that part of the law violated free speech. But the court upheld that its abortion referral requirement “doesn’t compel speech” but “merely regulates professional conduct.” 

In 2016, Illinois amended the state Health Care Right of Conscience Act to require health care providers to share benefits of abortions and refer clients to abortionists on request.

Pro-life groups quickly took legal action, and in 2017 a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to temporarily pause enforcement of the law. 

Thomas More Society Executive Vice President Thomas Olp in a Monday statement welcomed the decision’s ruling in favor of First Amendment rights, though he added the group was “greatly concerned that the court did not fully protect conscience rights, leaving our clients forced to compromise their deepest beliefs.”

Illinois House passes bill to protecting abortion pills even if FDA finds them unsafe

Also in Illinois, the state House of Representatives this week passed a bill that will maintain access to the abortion pill even if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determines it to be unsafe. 

The bill passed 67-39 in the House on Monday and is now moving through the state Senate. 

The measure states that “a drug’s status as not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shall not cause it to be deemed a misbranded drug in violation of this act if it is recommended for use by the World Health Organization.”

The bill would also protect medical providers who lose their licenses in other states if the conduct was legal in Illinois. 

The proposed legislation takes place amid ongoing debate and investigation of the safety of abortion pills. 

A chemical abortion takes place via a two-pill regimen. The first pill, mifepristone, kills an unborn child by blocking the hormone progesterone, cutting off the child’s supply of oxygen and nutrients. The second pill, misoprostol, is taken between 24 to 48 hours after mifepristone to induce contractions and expel the child’s body.

Texas sues San Antonio for abortion travel fund

The Texas attorney general sued the city of San Antonio last week for allegedly using public money to fund abortion travel out of state. 

San Antonio had set aside $100,000 for a “Reproductive Justice Fund” designed to pay for out-of-state travel for mothers to abort their unborn children.

Attorney General Ken Paxton requested a temporary restraining order and injunctive relief to stop the fund, maintaining that it violates the Texas Constitution’s gift clause.

In a recent statement, Paxton said the city was “blatantly defying Texas law” in an “attack on the pro-life values of our state.”  

“I will not stand by while rogue cities use tax dollars to circumvent state law and take the innocent lives of unborn children,” Paxton said. 

Paxton sued the city of Austin in September 2024 for a similar program allocating $400,000 of public funds for abortion travel. 

Source: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/263303/federal-court-strikes-down-law-forcing-pro-life-ministries-to-promote-abortion