Inviting Tragedy: The Pro-Abortion Left’s Dangerous Speech Against Pro-Life Voices

Our nation remains shaken by the senseless assassination of Charlie Kirk. He was killed for having a voice – for daring to speak his convictions boldly in the public square. Charlie’s death is the tragic result of a dangerous idea: labeling speech itself as violence. When voices are branded as dangerous or harmful, it becomes easier to justify silencing them – whether through physical violence or government suppression.

A similar mindset drives pro-abortion activists and state officials who are working to shut down Christian pro-life centers, or Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs). Instead of bullets, they wield the weapons of law, regulation, and smear campaigns – accusing pro-life ministries of being a “threat to public health” simply because they operate from a faith-based, pro-life viewpoint.

The ACLJ believes that defending the unborn doesn’t make you a “threat.” Take action and add your name to the petition: Stop Criminalizing Saving Unborn Babies.

Massachusetts: A Government Smear Campaign

In Massachusetts, Governor Maura Healey and her administration have waged an unprecedented campaign against pro-life centers. These centers – such as Your Options Medical – exist to serve women in crisis. They provide pregnancy tests, counseling, ultrasounds, diapers, baby clothes, and ongoing support. They do this not for profit, but because of their convictions about the sanctity of life.

Yet the state has labeled them “deceptive” and “dangerous.” Taxpayer dollars fund bus and bench ads warning citizens to “avoid anti-abortion centers.” The Health Department encourages residents to report them. The Attorney General threatens legal action for so-called “false advertising.”

Make no mistake: pro-life centers are not committing fraud. They are not endangering women. Their “crime” is viewpoint. Because these PRCs refuse to promote or refer for abortion, the state has decided they must be silenced.

The ACLJ filed suit against the governor and her allies, exposing this smear campaign for what it is: an unconstitutional attempt to weaponize government power against religious speech. We’ve already defeated motions to dismiss and forced the state to turn over thousands of pages of internal documents. The truth is coming to light.

New Jersey: Donor Disclosures and the Supreme Court

This battle isn’t limited to Massachusetts. In New Jersey, another state effort to muzzle pregnancy centers is now before the U.S. Supreme Court in First Choice Women’s Resource Centers v. Platkin.

New Jersey state officials are demanding that pro-life centers disclose their donors, opening the door to harassment and retaliation against those who dare to support these religious ministries.

The heartbreaking events of last week serve as a chilling reminder of why forced disclosure is so dangerous. When supporters of faith-based organizations are exposed, they become easy targets for harassment, intimidation, or worse. If states succeed in demanding donor lists from pro-life centers, many will be scared into silence. And the precedent won’t stop with pregnancy centers – it will sweep across churches, charities, and any faith-based group that dares to speak against the cultural tide.

The Consequences of Branding PRCs “Dangerous”

We’ve already seen what happens when pro-life centers are falsely branded as “dangerous.” Violence against them is deemed acceptable. Across the country, PRCs have been vandalized, firebombed, and smeared by hostile officials. Windows smashed, graffiti scrawled across walls, buildings set ablaze – all because they dare to offer women alternatives to abortion.

At the same time, pro-abortion politicians and their allies push ordinances designed to choke off PRCs’ ability to advertise or speak, claiming their faith-based message is “misleading.” The pattern is unmistakable: Once speech is labeled a threat, violence and legal harassment quickly follow.

From Smears to Violence

This brings us back to the tragic loss of Charlie Kirk. He was murdered for his Christian beliefs and his determination to share them with others. That is violence in its rawest form, and it is horrific.

Yet it should not surprise us that a culture willing to sanction violence against the most vulnerable – innocent babies in the womb – also breeds violence against those who defend life. When human life is devalued at its beginning, it is only a small step to devalue the lives and voices of those who speak up for the unborn. The hostility that leads to firebombed pro-life centers and the murder of a Christian leader grows from the same poisoned root: a worldview that treats life as expendable and conscience as dangerous.

Silencing dissent doesn’t begin with bullets. It begins with lies. It begins with words like “dangerous,” “deceptive,” and “threat to public health.” It begins when governments, in partnership with powerful pro-abortion interest groups, decide that viewpoints promoting life and morality are too “harmful” to be allowed. It begins when laws and regulations are twisted into tools of suppression.

The difference is one of degree, only. The same spirit that fueled Charlie’s assassin is at work when officials try to drive Christian ministries out of the public square. Both are attacks on conscience, speech, and life.

Where Do We Go From Here?

We must not allow this trend to continue.

The ACLJ is actively countering this dangerous narrative on every front – fighting in the courts to defend pro-life centers, engaging in legislatures and governments to root out anti-religious and anti-pro-life bias in law, and working in the culture to expose the truth.

Charlie Kirk’s assassination is a wake-up call. Christian beliefs and life itself are under assault.

The ACLJ will not back down. We will defend these ministries, their donors, their right to serve, and their faith. Because in America, speaking to promote life and morality is not a threat, nor is it violence, and it certainly doesn’t make someone a criminal. Take action and add your name to the petition: Stop Criminalizing Saving Unborn Babies.