Following today’s decision by the Supreme Court regarding NIFLA v. Becerra, Heritage Foundation legal fellow and appellate advocacy program manager Elizabeth Slattery offered the following immediate reaction:

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling in NIFLA v. Becerra is a victory for free speech. The state of California attempted to force pro-life pregnancy centers to advertise the state’s abortion program—a message that the pregnancy crisis centers find morally objectionable. This would undermine their important, life-saving work. All Americans should be wary of any government that forces one side of a contentious policy issue to communicate a message that directly contradicts its very reason for existing. Today, the court rightly affirmed that the First Amendment protects the freedom not to speak. California is entitled to take a position on abortion, but it cannot force pro-life pregnancy centers to agree with and speak that message.”