Reps. Harris, LaMalfa File Amicus Brief to Protect Pro-Life Free Speech

(WASHINGTON, DC): Congressmen Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01) and Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) have filed an Amicus Curiae brief on behalf of 128 members of the House of Representatives and 16 Senators in support of pro-life pregnancy centers in the Supreme Court case National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra. This case challenges the Reproductive FACT Act (AB 775), a California state law that requires pro-life licensed medical centers to post advertisements for free or low cost abortions subsidized by the state. The Supreme Court will consider whether the disclosures required by the law violate the free speech clause of the First Amendment. Congressmen Harris and LaMalfa released the following statements after filing the brief:

“California’s continued attack on the sanctity of life and complete disregard for the First Amendment can no longer go unchecked. The Reproductive FACT Act clearly violates the Constitutional freedom of speech and freedom of religion guaranteed to all Americans. Forcing an individual or private entity to act in a manner that conflicts with their religious beliefs directly contradicts our nation’s core values. I am proud to stand with my colleagues in defense of unborn children.”

--Congressman Andy Harris, M.D. (MD-01)

“The very nature of the Reproductive FACT Act is a blatant violation of the First Amendment, and is representative of the moral degradation of California’s state government. The sole mission of many of these pregnancy centers is to help foster life, not to advertise abortions. No person or entity can be required by the government to say or promote ideas they do not believe. That’s exactly what’s happening here, and it’s wrong. We’re sending a message to the Supreme Court that they must set a precedent by not allowing liberal elites to bully anyone into sacrificing their constitutionally protected freedoms.”

-- Congressman Doug LaMalfa (CA-01)

“Our state should honor and respect those who offer hope and assistance to our friends and neighbors. Instead, the State of California is targeting pro-life pregnancy centers and forcing them to promote state-funded abortions. This is cruel, unconstitutional, and contrary to our values as a nation. I am grateful that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear this important case. Nobody should be targeted and punished simply for helping expecting mothers with their pregnancy.”

-- Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (CA-23), signatory of the amicus brief