Family Life

02.02.11 | Sarah Harnisch

   A federal judge has struck down a Baltimore ordinance that requires pro-life pregnancy counseling centers to post a disclaimer if they don't provide abortions or birth control. In a ruling January 28th, U.S. District Judge Marvin Garbis said the ordinance violates the First Amendment and is unenforceable. An archbishop was fighting the city of Baltimore after it put a new ordinance in effect that would require them to post that they don't offer abortions. The judge ruled the city's ordinance amounted to compelled speech and violated the center's free-speech rights. He said "Whether a provider of pregnancy-related services is 'pro-life' or 'prochoice,' it is for the provider - not the Government - to decide when and how to discuss abortion and birth-control methods."