Judge: Massachusetts can continue campaign against pregnancy centers

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the state of Massachusetts can continue its public campaign "warning" women about pregnancy help centers in the state, dismissing a lawsuit filed by the Your Options Medical coalition of pregnancy centers.

Key Takeaways:

• Judge Leo T. Sorokin dismissed a lawsuit filed by Your Options Medical, in which the organization complained that the state's campaign against pregnancy centers was unconstitutional.

• State officials have run ads blasting pregnancy centers, warning women that visiting them can be a "health risk."

• Instead, these centers offer women and families countless resources and help.

• Your Options Medical is expected to appeal the ruling.

The Backstory:

In May 2024, the organization Your Options Medical (YOM), which runs a coalition of pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) in the state of Massachusetts, filed a lawsuit against Governor Maura Healey and state officials for running a campaign of "harassment and discrimination" against PRCs.

The lawsuit sought to stop the state from running ad campaigns like the one seen in the following video, in which the state alleges that pregnancy resource centers can be a health risk.

Avoid anti-abortion centers. Get care you can trust.

The state also blasts PRCs (calling them "anti-abortion centers") on a Department of Health webpage, warning people against visiting such facilities.

In its lawsuit, YOM argued that the state's blatant campaign is an unconstitutional effort to suppress YOM's right to free speech and religious expression.

As WGHB reports, Olivia Summers, YOM's attorney with the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), previously explained the organization's complaint against the state:

“The state did not merely offer a pro-abortion information campaign to inform the public that there is such a thing as abortion, that they can access abortion, that there’s state funding for abortion. What they did was they used its official government platform to delegitimize and suppress a religious pro-life by labeling the plaintiff, and other pregnancy resource centers in the state, as dangerous, deceptive, and a threat to public health,” Summers said, according to the court transcript. “It’s a fundamental reason they exist is to speak out against abortion and that is what’s being suppressed here.”

Pregnancy Resource Centers Provide Millions In Free Services

The Details:

In his February 17 ruling, Judge Leo T. Sorokin opted to dismiss YOM's lawsuit on the basis that the organization could not prove that the state's actions against it were unconstitutional.

“The amended complaint fails primarily because it does not plausibly suggest that Defendants have targeted YOM for actual or threatened enforcement action, let alone to stifle its protected speech or viewpoint,” Sorokin wrote.

READ: Pregnancy centers vs. abortion businesses: Who truly offers ‘limited services’?

The American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ), which represented YOM in its complaint, says the group will appeal the decision, firmly disagreeing with Sorokin's opinion that YOM was not impacted by the state's actions.

"The First Amendment protects more than the right to speak freely from outright censorship. It also protects against government coercion, intimidation, and regulatory pressure designed to silence disfavored viewpoints," the organization wrote in a news release.

"We, along with our local counsel, Massachusetts Liberty Legal Center, filed suit because the Constitution does not permit government officials to use their regulatory power to silence or punish speech they disagree with – especially religious speech."

Reality Check:

PRCs have helped countless women to access services they need to help them parent, including baby supplies, food, formula, clothing, housing, prenatal and postnatal classes, access to health care and education, connection with social services support, and much more.

According to the 2025 National Pregnancy Center Report, 2,775 pregnancy centers in the U.S. provided over $452 million in total medical care, support, and education services, and material goods in 2024 alone. Client satisfaction rates from these centers was 98% — yet the state of Massachusetts feels compelled to warn women against visiting these facilities.

Given that about 64% of women who have had abortions said they did so under pressure to abort, PRCs are a lifeline to women who feel they have no other options available.

The Bottom Line:

Given the state's all-out campaign against PRCs, it's clear that the killing of preborn children remains a priority in Massachusetts. Imagine how much more good could be done if PRCs were supported as the incredible option they are, instead of being vilified.