Representative Chris Smith / United States Congress (Left), Rebeca Alvidrez / Unsplash (Right)
Republican US Rep. Chris Smith, N.J., on June 18 praised the Supreme Court’s decision to hear a First Amendment-related case a pro-life pregnancy resource center brought against his state’s attorney general.
“At the Supreme Court, First Choice Women’s Resource Center will have the opportunity to present its case and help expose the discrimination that they and others have faced simply because of who they are and how they help women and their unborn children in a time of crisis,” Smith stated in a June 18 press release from his office.
CatholicVote previously reported that NJ AG Matthew Platkin subpoenaed First Choice, demanding it disclose up to 10 years of confidential documents and the names of donors behind almost 5,000 donations to the center. The legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom sued Platkin in federal court on behalf of First Choice, arguing that the demand is unjustified and burdensome. After federal courts ruled that First Choice needs to begin with the state court to defend its constitutional claims, ADF petitioned the Supreme Court to determine whether First Choice can appeal directly to a federal court, claiming the state itself is what violated the center’s constitutional rights.
After the Supreme Court this week agreed to hear the case of First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin, Smith — who co-chairs the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus— emphasized that First Choice’s rights must be upheld.
“Pregnancy care centers exist to compassionately help women in their time of need through free support and resources, and the fundamental conscience rights, religious rights, and freedom of speech of First Choice Women’s Resource Center must be respected,” Smith stated.
Despite efforts to distort the image of pregnancy centers, they remain crucial outlets of support for women in crisis and their children, Smith said.
According to the release, pregnancy centers performed 546,683 free ultrasounds, gave 808,737 clients free resources (worth at least $367 million) for their children, and provided more than 3.2 million client sessions that have a 97.4% satisfaction rate – in 2022 alone. Over five years, pregnancy care centers saved the lives of more than 828,130 unborn children, the release said.
“While pro-abortion legislators and administrations attempt to smear, punish, and distort the work of pregnancy care centers,” Smith stated, “the reality is that pregnancy centers are oases of love, compassion, empathy, respect, and quality care for both mothers and their precious children.”
