Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) says Attorney General Bob Ferguson (D) conducted an unlawful and unconstitutional investigation into Obria Group and Obria Medical Clinics Pacific Northwest because of their life-affirming views.
"The main case that we presented was of how his selectively targeted and hostile investigation of pro-life pregnancy centers … harmed our First Amendment interests – both in our associational freedom, because he wanted information about our private relationships with donors and that sort of thing, and also our speech and religious freedom, because he was sending a message that by selectively targeting these pregnancy centers, their speech only … was subject to enforcement by his office," explains ADF senior counsel Lincoln Wilson.
Attorney General Ferguson initially denied that these harms were sufficient for the court to consider and grant relief.
"Ultimately, we were able to show that his investigation actually caused Obria Pacific Northwest to lose insurance coverage and that it had to buy replacement coverage that cost it seven times as much," Wilson reports. "Once we showed that harm, the attorney general realized that he couldn't claim that we weren't injured anymore, and that's when he decided to close his investigation in hopes that he'll avoid the court declaring his investigation unlawful."
As government officials in New York, New Jersey, and California are likewise targeting pregnancy centers in their states, Wison says ADF looks forward to winning those battles in court.
