{"id":795,"date":"2011-02-16T09:49:42","date_gmt":"2011-02-16T09:49:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.medic8.com\/news\/?p=795"},"modified":"2011-02-16T09:49:42","modified_gmt":"2011-02-16T09:49:42","slug":"abortion-sign-unconstitutional-6378","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.medic8.com\/news\/abortion-sign-unconstitutional-6378\/","title":{"rendered":"Abortion Sign Unconstitutional-6378"},"content":{"rendered":"

Without doubt, if there is one issue that causes much angst and heated debate in the United States, it\u2019s abortion<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This debate took a further twist recently when a federal judge decided that a sign at faith based pregnancy<\/a> centres saying they won\u2019t help clients get an abortion was unconstitutional.<\/p>\n

The debate began a year ago when Baltimore Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake sponsored a bill in her then capacity of City Council president, requiring pregnancy centres to install a sign. The sign read something along the lines of: \u201cthe centre does not refer clients for abortion or birth control.\u201d<\/p>\n

However Federal District Judge Marvin J. Garbis deemed this contravenes free speech and was therefore unconstitutional and against the law.<\/p>\n

Judge Garbis wrote: “Whether a provider of pregnancy-related services is ‘pro-life’ or ‘pro-choice,’ it is for the provider \u2014 not the government \u2014 to decide when and how to discuss abortion and birth-control method.<\/p>\n

“The Government cannot, consistent with the First Amendment, require a ‘pro-life’ pregnancy-related service centre to post a sign.”<\/p>\n

The Judge\u2019s statement was welcomed by the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baltimore, Edwin F O\u2019Brien who responded to the ruling saying: \u201cThe important and compassionate work of these pro-life pregnancy centres to continue without interference from Baltimore City.”<\/p>\n

In a statement, O’Brien said, “The ruling also upholds the constitutional rights under the First Amendment that protect private citizens such as those who work and volunteer in pregnancy centres from having to convey a government-mandated message.\u201d<\/p>\n

The irony of this is that the aim of the sign was to inform women who wanted an abortion, that the pregnancy centre wouldn\u2019t help them.<\/p>\n

This ruling gives anti abortionists another small victory.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Without doubt, if there is one issue that causes much angst and heated debate in the United States, it\u2019s abortion. This debate took a further twist recently when a federal judge decided that a sign at faith based pregnancy centres saying they won\u2019t help clients get an abortion was unconstitutional. The debate began a year […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":888008809,"featured_media":5380,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[2254,169,503,455],"class_list":["post-795","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abortion","tag-abortion","tag-abortion-law","tag-abortion-rights","tag-anti-abortion-groups"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t