NW Illinois News

Amid ongoing legal battles, supporters of pregnancy centers in Illinois express gratitude for a federal court’s preliminary injunction against SB 1909, aimed at curbing the centers’ activities. While celebrating a federal court’s decision temporarily halting the bill, advocates acknowledge have called for continued prayers as the legal process continues

“We want to thank you for praying about SB1909 - the bill attempting to silence pregnancy centers across the state. We are celebrating the federal court’s decision to enter a preliminary injunction against the state of Illinois!” Timothy Stocks, of Freeport, said on Facebook. “We know there is still a long road ahead so we ask for continued prayers. Please pray for the legal team from Thomas More Society and those involved in this case. We know that the enemy won’t give up this easily - so please continue to pray!"

Judge Iain Johnston’s ruling on the matter was a harsh rebuke of the Illinois lawmakers who passed the bill, according to Capitol News Illinois.

“Justice Scalia once said that he wished all federal judges were given a stamp that read ’stupid but constitutional,’ Johnston said to Capitol News Illinois. “SB 1909 is both stupid and very likely unconstitutional.”

The judge’s ruling, based on First Amendment grounds, has ignited a debate between abortion rights advocates and anti-abortion groups over the free speech rights of these centers, which provide support to pregnant individuals, according to WTTW. The lawsuit was launched by Thomas More Society to stop SB 1909 which provided a legal mechanism to block pregnancy resource centers from seeking to attract would-be mothers that may be considering getting an abortion. 

The judge issued a preliminary injunction on the grounds that the law likely violated the First Amendment, causing a conflict between abortion rights advocates who claim these centers employ deceptive tactics and anti-abortion groups asserting their First Amendment rights, WTTW reported.

“In short, the law openly targets alleged pro-life ‘misinformation’ on the basis that that pro-life views conflict with Illinois’s rampant pro-abortion ideology,” the Thomas More Society wrote on its website. “But in doing so, the law runs headlong into bedrock protections of the First Amendment, which prohibit government from cutting off one side of ongoing controversies by censoring speech with which it disagrees, and from discriminating against religiously motivated speech.”

“The ‘Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act’ is a blatant attempt to stamp out access to vital women’s pregnancy resources across the state, simply because pregnancy help centers do not provide abortions and “emergency contraception,” the organization continued.

“We will try to keep you updated as information becomes available that we are able to share," Stocks added, according to Facebook. "Thank you again for the prayers and encouragement that you all have been. It continues to be a great comfort to know you are all with us and praying for us through the adversity we are facing!”