The United States Supreme Court has ruled that a California law that requires pregnancy centers to inform clients about free or low-cost abortion services available to them is likely a violation of the first amendment. Writing for the majority in the 5-4 ruling, Justice Clarence Thomas explained that the law "targets speakers, not speech, and imposes an unduly burdensome disclosure requirement that will chill their protected speech."
After California passed the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care and Transparency Act in 2015, a group of religious-based pregnancy centers sued, arguing that it was unconstitutional for the state to force them to provide literature that goes against their religious beliefs.
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals rejected their claims, but the Supreme Court ruling overturned the decision and remanded it back to the appeals court for reconsideration.
In a concurring opinion, Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote that the California law is "a paradigmatic example of the serious threat presented when government seeks to impose its own message in the place of individual speech, thought, and expression."
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