Bill Shields Anti-Abortion Pregnancy Centers, Bars Penalties for Not Referring or Providing Abortions

This bill, the "Let Pregnancy Centers Serve Act of 2025," sets out to protect organizations, particularly pregnancy centers that don't perform or refer for abortions, from discrimination or penalties by entities receiving federal funding. It specifically safeguards centers that offer what the bill terms "life-affirming alternatives" and prevents them from being required to participate in abortion-related activities.

What Counts as 'Discrimination' Here?

The core of the bill (Section 3) prohibits the federal government, or any state, local government, or other entity getting federal financial assistance, from discriminating against or penalizing an organization because it focuses on alternatives to abortion and refrains from counseling in favor of, assisting, providing, promoting, or performing abortions. This means these protected centers can't be forced by entities receiving federal funds to offer abortions, provide abortion-inducing drugs, refer patients for them, or even post advertisements promoting them. The definition of "life-affirming support" is broad, covering prenatal/postnatal resources, medical testing related to pregnancy, parenting classes, and notably, counseling on care that "may reverse the effects of abortion-inducing drugs" – a concept considered medically unproven by major medical organizations.

New Legal Muscle for Protected Centers

This isn't just a policy suggestion; Section 4 adds a legal enforcement mechanism. It explicitly allows the U.S. Attorney General, or any individual or entity (like a pregnancy center) that believes it has been harmed by a violation of these protections, to file a civil lawsuit. The targets of these lawsuits can be any individual or entity receiving federal financial assistance, explicitly including state governmental bodies. Courts are directed to provide relief, which could include injunctions (ordering the discriminatory action to stop), compensatory damages, and requiring the losing party to cover attorney's fees. This opens the door for legal challenges against institutions receiving federal funds if a protected center perceives discriminatory treatment.

The Real-World Ripple Effect

So, what could this mean in practice? The bill aims to ensure centers focused only on alternatives to abortion can operate without fear of losing funding or facing official pushback from government-funded entities. For someone seeking advice about an unexpected pregnancy, this could mean these centers remain available resources. However, the protections and the threat of lawsuits (Sec. 4) could raise concerns about access to comprehensive information. If healthcare providers or institutions receiving federal funds feel legally vulnerable for actions perceived as penalizing centers that don't offer abortion referrals, could it influence the range of information or options presented to patients? The bill strongly protects centers not providing abortion information or services (Sec. 3), potentially impacting whether individuals consistently receive information about the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare choices, depending on where they seek care.