Raleigh pregnancy center may take legal action after being blocked by city council

As Live Action News’ Calvin Freiburger reported, on Tuesday, the Raleigh City Council denied A Hand of Hope pregnancy resource center’s effort to begin operations out of its property next to an abortion facility, despite the city’s Planning Commission unanimously recommending approval of the rezoning request.

Now, the pro-life group is considering legal action, according to the The News & Observer.

“We’ve got a ton of lawyers ready and willing to interpret why they failed us,” said Tonya Baker Nelson, director of A Hand of Hope, which encourages pregnant women to consider alternatives to abortion. “They’re looking into our legal options.”

The North Carolina Values Coalition argues that the decision resulted from political motivation, claiming that the council “showed obvious bias in favor of abortion clinics” and acted on an ideological agenda.

“The Raleigh City Council has discriminated against A Hand of Hope Pregnancy Center by denying it the right to use its own property as it sees fit, because it offers women’s healthcare and alternatives to abortion,” Tami Fitzgerald, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.

Despite arguments that allowing the pregnancy center to operate next to an abortion clinic would create an unsafe environment due to protests, Nelson stated that A Hand of Hope does not participate in protests, and will not allow protesters on its property.