Our latest news notified you about the Senate hearing in Washington State scheduled Monday, January 31 on SB 5274. This bill, if passed, would limit the effective outreach of pregnancy help centers to women at risk for abortion and drive them out of business by imposing onerous requirements on these centers that are not equally mandated for the abortion businesses. The bill would also enable private lawsuits against the centers and severely restrict the centers' ability to fight such legal action.

What happened at the hearing?

We asked you to pray especially that those who serve and support pregnancy help centers would show up in large numbers in spite of the early hour.  Thank you for praying.

Kim Triller, Executive Director of Care Net Pregnancy & Family Services, estimated that pregnancy help center supporters at the hearing outnumbered opponents about 15 to 1! This sends a powerful warning to legislators not to disrespect the good and generous work of our donor-supported pregnancy help centers. Center directors, medical directors, lawyers, and actual mothers who received love and support in the midst of their own crisis, were all there and able to testify.

Kim reported that the senators were pointed in their questions, especially toward those calling into question our integrity and demanding regulations. If fact, you can watch the hearings now. They seemed aware that this bill may be motivated more by NARAL and ACLU ideology than anything else. One senator acknowledged that the Attorney General of Washington State was preparing to issue a statement agreeing with the ruling in Baltimore that declared a similar bill unconstitutional for this very reason. Judge Garbis from Maryland wrote, "The Government cannot, consistent with the First Amendment, require a 'pro-life' pregnancy-related service center to post a sign as would be required by the Ordinance."

What is next and how should we prepare?

Jeanneane Maxon, legal counsel for CareNet, one of our partners in the effort to represent and defend the pregnancy help movement, explained what will happen next.  “There will be an executive session of the House and Senate.  In light of what happened in Baltimore and in the hearing, it is possible that the bill will not make it out of committee.” We will send out an action alert when we learn of the date of this hearing.

Meanwhile, Heartbeat’s President, Peggy Hartshorn, has traveled to New York City to meet with center directors there.  They face similar threatening regulations. If the Baltimore decision sets a precedent for Washington State, it may help in NYC also. Let us pray that the Baltimore ruling severs this NARAL tactic at the root and that there will be no more onerous attempts to limit the impact of the pregnancy help movement.

If you live in NYC or Washington State, please contact your local pregnancy help center director and offer your help. Most important, show up at the hearings. Large numbers give legislators pause. Sometimes they need to feel the heat before they can see the light.

If you have family or friends in these battle ground areas, please forward this alert to them.