State of Maine sues pro-lifer for preaching outside Planned Parenthood

The state of Maine has filed a lawsuit against a pro-life pastor, claiming that his preaching outside a Portland Planned Parenthood violates the Maine Civil Rights Act.

Key Takeaways:

• The state of Maine is suing John Andrade Jr., a preacher who is active outside a Portland Planned Parenthood.

• The lawsuit claims that Andrade's preaching and music "interferes" with the "healthcare" being performed inside the Planned Parenthood.

• The state is seeking an immediate temporary injunction against Andrade to silence him.

The Details:

John Andrade Jr. of Brunswick is a preacher who has been protesting for years outside the Planned Parenthood at 205 Newbury Street in Portland, Maine. His activism includes preaching and playing worship music — activities which the state says violate the Maine Civil Rights Act.

According to The Maine Wire, the state filed a lawsuit against Andrade on August 21 requesting an immediate injunction to prevent him from coming within 150 feet of any Planned Parenthood facility or from making any noise that can be heard within the facility.

The Maine Civil Rights Act prohibits anyone from making noise that can be heard inside a healthcare facility so as to “interfere with the safe and effective delivery” of healthcare services. Andrade told The Wire that his music was never intended to disrupt any "healthcare" services, and that the state would have a hard time proving otherwise.

“There’s many days when I don’t say a word about abortion; we’re just playing music and not preaching at all. Sometimes preaching just general concepts and things from the Bible and, sometimes we’ll be a little bit more pointed with our content about abortion, but there’s never an intent that we’re trying to disrupt health care. So I feel like it’ll be a stretch for them to try to prove that,” he said.

He stated that his belief that the state is looking for any way it can to stop his preaching.

“In my understanding, it seems that 'noise' is not Planned Parenthood’s issue with me. Instead, they are opposed to the message of love and salvation through Jesus, along with our message that killing children in the womb is a great evil, and that the lives of these human children in the womb matter,” he said.

He also noted that other protesters outside the facility have faced no ramifications, pointing to a recent incident in which hundreds of people were protesting against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by chanting, shouting through megaphones, and banging drums that surely would have been heard inside the Planned Parenthood building.

“No other loud noise near Monument Square is being opposed, only ours. And it appears that they are able to perform abortions just fine even in a loud environment,” he said.

Zoom Out:

This isn't the first time that Andrade has been targeted for his pro-life activity. He told the Wire that since he began preaching outside Planned Parenthood in 2021, he has received numerous warnings from the police, telling him to quiet down.

He was also served a criminal trespass notice after allegations that he blocked the entrance to the abortion facility — an act that would have violated the federal Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act. Andrade denied that ever happened, noting that he was never formally charged.

“It’s certainly not true that I blocked the entrance, and they wouldn’t have any evidence supporting that,” he said.

This is also not the first time that Maine has tried to silence pro-life activity. In 2022, the state enacted "medical safety zones" outside healthcare facilities — including abortion businesses — restricting the area in which pro-life sidewalk counselors can stand. In response to the ordinance, Planned Parenthood painted bright green lines on the sidewalk, indicating the area in which pro-lifers were not allowed to enter. At that time, Andrade spoke of the lies that Planned Parenthood was telling about the sidewalk counselors like himself.

“I listened to them just lie, saying we run up in people’s faces and yell three inches from their face,” he said. “We’ve never done even remotely close to that.”

Go Deeper:

Maine is an extremely pro-abortion state that has passed laws protecting abortion and abortionists. Read more at the links below:

Maine lawmakers send bill to governor allowing anonymous abortion pill prescriptions

Maine lawmakers pass bill to protect law-breaking abortionists

Expansive pro-abortion law in Maine has taken effect: ‘That’s the opposite of health’