A Christian pregnancy resource center in New Jersey filed a lawsuit last week against the state’s attorney general after being “selectively targeted” for its pro-life views and religious speech.
On December 13 non-profit law firm Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) filed the lawsuit against NJ Attorney General Matthew Platkin on behalf of First Choice Women’s Resource Centers.
According to ADF, Platkin has requested an “unreasonable and improper subpoena,” from First Choice “under the pretense of conducting a civil investigation into possible violations” of several NJ laws.
The subpoena “mandates disclosure of privileged and/or irrelevant materials to advance an investigation that does not appear to be based on a complaint or other reason to suspect unlawful activity, and which selectively and unlawfully targets First Choice,” ADF’s lawsuit reads.
ADF added that Platkin is “nationally prominent among elected officials for his fervent advocacy for abortion, and prolific in his pronouncements of hostility toward and suspicion of pregnancy resource centers like those operated by First Choice.”
ADF Senior Counsel Lincoln Wilson said in a press release this week, “It’s unlawful for New Jersey’s attorney general to use the authority of his office to harm those with whom he disagrees.”
“Attorney General Platkin has aligned himself with Planned Parenthood’s pro-abortion mission and even enlisted its help to target pro-life pregnancy centers like our client First Choice,” he continued:
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The U.S. Constitution protects First Choice Ministry’s right to freely speak its beliefs, freely exercise its faith, freely associate with like-minded individuals and organizations, and continue to provide its free services in a caring and compassionate environment to women and men facing difficult pregnancy circumstances.
ADF’s press release also stated that
Platkin sought help from Planned Parenthood to draft his office’s consumer alert warning New Jerseyans about pregnancy centers. The attorney general’s demands violate the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution and are designed to leverage the threat of sanctions under New Jersey law to frustrate First Choice’s pro-life ministry.
First Choice currently has five locations in New Jersey that serve “women and men in unplanned pregnancies by providing counseling, medical services, and practical support,” the lawsuit explains, noting that all services are free of charge:
First Choice does not perform or refer for abortions, which it states on its websites and in its welcome forms to clients; but it does provide medically accurate information about abortion procedures and risks.
First Choice’s services range from pregnancy testing and counseling, limited obstetric ultrasounds, and parenting education, to “and the administration of material support, such as baby clothes and furnishing, diapers, maternity clothes, and food,” the lawsuit reads, adding that all services are directed by a licensed physician:
First Choice began providing services in 1985 and has since served over 36,000 women facing unplanned pregnancies.
LifeNews Note: Joshua Mercer writes for CatholicVote, where this column originally appeared.
