Current Events > Judge halts IL that allows people to sue 'crisis pregnancy centers' for fraud

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https://news.yahoo.com/injunction-halts-illinois-law-aimed-091852498.html

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of Illinois' newly signed Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act.

"The bill is painfully and blatantly a violation of the First Amendment," U.S. District Judge Iain Johnston said Thursday in Rockford's federal courthouse.

The act, signed by Gov. JB Pritzker last week, bans crisis pregnancy centers from using "misinformation, deceptive practices, or misrepresentation" in order to interfere with access to abortion services or emergency contraception. Violators faced up to $50,000 fines.

Johnston listened to over four hours of testimony from anti-abortion advocates during an emergency hearing Thursday afternoon. Witnesses said law has had a chilling effect on their rights to free speech and expression and their ability to distribute literature that identifies alternatives to abortion.

Kevin Rilott, director of the Rockford Family Initiative and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said before the law was enacted as many as 100 people attended regular prayer vigils. From that group, he drew his "sidewalk counselors," people who routinely gather on the sidewalk outside of abortion centers and confront women with the literature.

After the law as passed, Rilott said the number of prayer vigil attendees dropped to about 30 people and greatly reduced the pool of potential sidewalk counselors.

"It's going to stop us from offering mothers a choice," Rilott said.

The bill was championed by Attorney General Kwame Raoul. The law allows the Attorney General's Office to investigate complaints against pregnancy centers using questionable tactics and strengthens the Attorney General's authority to prosecute incidences of consumer fraud in such cases.

"There's no doubt who the Attorney General wants to win or lose in the market place of ideas, but the government doesn't get to decide that," Johnston said. "The people do."

Attorney Peter Breen of the Thomas More Society, a not-for-profit Chicago-based law firm, represented the plaintiffs. Breen said he was pleased with the judge's decision.

So fraud is legal now?

Shit take from a shit judge

"sidewalk counselors" with spittle on their lips and posters of dead babies in their hands

https://twitter.com/SLKollmann/status/1687630773145292801

Antifar posted...

"There's no doubt who the Attorney General wants to win or lose in the market place of ideas, but the government doesn't get to decide that," Johnston said. "The people do."

This judge is a fucking idiot. If your "marketplace of ideas" relies on you having to lie, then it shouldn't fucking flourish, you dumb ****.

Fuck conservatives

Shitbags

Kevin Rilott, director of the Rockford Family Initiative and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said before the law was enacted as many as 100 people attended regular prayer vigils. From that group, he drew his "sidewalk counselors," people who routinely gather on the sidewalk outside of abortion centers and confront women with the literature.

Oh, so just the worst fucking people ever. Cool

And surprise surprise, the 7th Circuit Appeals Court, which would hear appeals from Illinois District Court cases, is chock full of Republican appointees

FolkenRawr posted...

Oh, so just the worst fucking people ever. Cool

Yup. Worst fucking people ever.

Legalizing fraud. Some real PoS's in positions of power these days.

Kevin Rilott, director of the Rockford Family Initiative and a plaintiff in the lawsuit, said before the law was enacted as many as 100 people attended regular prayer vigils. From that group, he drew his "sidewalk counselors," people who routinely gather on the sidewalk outside of abortion centers and confront women with the literature.

The people of this community need to have protests outside this guy's church and assign "sidewalk counselors" to confront church-goers with literature detailing all the children sexually abused by the Church.

Ignore the judge and enforce the law anyway. Alabama set the precedent.

The law doesn't make anything illegal that wasn't already. It just gives the AG broad and kinda vague powers to preemptively shut down any pregnancy clinic that doesn't provide abortions on-site.

Misinformation is a problem, but this isn't a very good bill.

It's going to stop us from offering mother's a choice.

Yeeesss because women are brain dead and cannot in any way ever make informed decisions from themselves. Thats rich coming from people who deliberately peddle misinformation, spit on the idea of choice, and are willfully ignorant about medical emergencies.

darkace77450 posted...

The people of this community need to have protests outside this guy's church and assign "sidewalk counselors" to confront church-goers with literature detailing all the children sexually abused by the Church.

Hell, they could just make shit up, since lying is legal apparently.

Antifar posted...

"It's going to stop us from offering mothers a choice," Rilott said.

TIL women are forced to abort

These idiots truly believe pro-choice is anti-birth

What choice are they giving them?

Crisis pregnancy centers are such pieces of shit they should be outlawed.

One of them in TX prevented my friend from aborting her 3rd child when she was already struggling after her first by threatening to have CPS take her other 2 kids away if she were to get an abortion. She had that 3rd kid and got her tubes tied because in TX they won't allow you to tie your tubes until you've had 3 kids, according to her.

hockeybub89 posted...

TIL women are forced to abort

These idiots truly believe pro-choice is anti-birth

Because pro-life is actually closer to pro-birth, and they assume pro-choice must be its precise opposite.

Evil cannot comprehend good, etc.