Discriminatory Act Targeting Life-Affirming Maternal Health Ministries Immediately Halted

(August 3, 2023 – Rockford, Illinois) At an August 3 hearing in United States District Court, a federal judge granted a motion requested by Thomas More Society attorneys for a preliminary injunction seeking to immediately halt Illinois’ new law attacking life-affirming maternal health care centers. The lawsuit, National Institute of Family and Life Advocates et al. v. Raoul, asserts that this law—enacted on July 27, 2023, and amending the Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act—was designed to target pregnancy help ministries solely because of their pro-life message.

“Free Speech won today in the Land of Lincoln—pro-life advocates across Illinois can breathe a sigh of relief they won’t be pursued for ‘misinformation’ by Attorney General Kwame Raoul,” stated Peter Breen, Executive Vice President and Head of Litigation for the Thomas More Society. Breen argued the case on behalf of National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and other pro-life ministries, including pregnancy care centers in Illinois.  

“Across the nation, pregnancy help ministries are being discriminated against by laws that target their life-affirming work,” said Breen. “The injunction granted today sends a strong, clear message to the country that the First Amendment protects pro-life speech.”

Read the full Preliminary Injunction Order filed on August 4, 2023, by U.S. District Court Judge Iain D. Johnston, granting a preliminary injunction against SB 1909 in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, et al. v. Raoul here.

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