New York Crisis Pregnancy Center Wins in Court

New York State’s ongoing war against crisis pregnancy centers just ran into an opponent that can’t be bullied: the Constitution. Unfortunately, it took three years for the crisis pregnancy centers to get a favorable ruling from the Manhattan-based United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — and the lawsuit may not be over.

At issue is New York’s “Boss Bill” passed in 2019, Labor Law § 203-e, which forbids discrimination against employees “because of or on the basis of the employee’s or dependent’s reproductive health decision making,” a definition plainly intended to cover abortions. It allows civil damages suits. The Evergreen Association, Inc., which has run pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in New York City since 1985 under the names of Expectant Mother Care and EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, filed suit in January 2020 against the enforcement of the law.

About the Author

Dan McLaughlin

Dan McLaughlin is a senior writer at National Review Online and a fellow at National Review Institute.

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New York State’s ongoing war against crisis pregnancy centers just ran into an opponent that can’t be bullied: the Constitution. Unfortunately, it took three years for the crisis pregnancy centers to get a favorable ruling from the Manhattan-based United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit — and the lawsuit may not be over.

At issue is New York’s “Boss Bill” passed in 2019, Labor Law § 203-e, which forbids discrimination against employees “because of or on the basis of the employee’s or dependent’s reproductive health decision making,” a definition plainly intended to cover abortions. It allows civil damages suits. The Evergreen Association, Inc., which has run pro-life crisis pregnancy centers in New York City since 1985 under the names of Expectant Mother Care and EMC FrontLine Pregnancy Centers, filed suit in January 2020 against the enforcement of the law.