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A federal lawsuit challenging a Vermont law regulating pro-life pregnancy centers has been dismissed after state officials amended the statute to address concerns raised by the plaintiffs.
The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA), along with Aspire Now in Williston and Branches Pregnancy Resource Center in Brattleboro, filed the suit in July 2023. The plaintiffs argued that Vermont’s Senate Bill 37 (SB 37), which had taken effect in May 2023, unconstitutionally targeted “limited-services pregnancy centers” by restricting their speech and dictating how they could operate.
Specifically, the law prohibited what it called “deceptive acts or practices” by centers that do not offer abortions or emergency contraception, including advertising that could be considered false or misleading. It also limited the scope of services non-licensed individuals could provide, effectively barring some staff at pregnancy resource centers from offering non-medical counseling, advice, or information on abortion reversal treatments.
The law essentially claimed that pregnancy centers that neither perform nor refer for abortions were unqualified to say they assist pregnant women. It subjected these pro-life centers to potential fines of up to $10,000 if their advertisements were deemed misleading by Vermont’s pro-abortion attorney general. The restrictions applied solely to pro-life organizations, while abortion providers offering similar information were not held to the same standard.
