A chain of pro-life pregnancy centers has sued Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson over his investigation into their business practices, accusing the pro-choice Democrat of running a politically motivated fishing expedition.
Obria Group, a Christian nonprofit with 20 affiliated clinics and two mobile clinics in six states, asked a federal court to block Mr. Ferguson’s probe into possible violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act, alleging that the Democrat is “singling out the nonprofits because of their life-affirming views.”
“Plaintiffs have no reason to believe they possess information relevant to a violation of [Washington law],” said the 35-page lawsuit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
“Defendant, however, has a long and well-documented zeal for abortion, strong antipathy toward organizations that protect pregnant women and unborn children from the harms of abortion, and a particular animus toward pregnancy resource centers like those operated by plaintiffs,” the complaint said.
Mr. Ferguson, a leading candidate in the state’s 2024 race for governor, launched an investigation in May 2022 into Obria Group and Obria Medical Groups PNW for possible “unfair or deceptive acts and practices,” including “representations relating to Abortion Pill Reversal.”
Democrats have long accused pro-life pregnancy centers of deceiving consumers by disguising their anti-abortion views. But Obria said its clinics make clear online and in person that they do not offer or refer patients for abortions.
Obria also said it has “never received a request or referred a client for APR,” a process that has been the subject of intense debate, although the organization said it would offer materials about the safety and efficacy of abortion-pill reversal “but for defendant’s investigation.”
The lawsuit characterized Mr. Ferguson’s request for materials dating back to January 2010 as excessive, saying that Obria has provided more than 1,500 documents but the attorney general’s office continues to demand more.
The Alliance Defending Freedom, which represents Obria, said that “such unreasonably overbroad, invasive, selective, and burdensome investigative demands violate the pro-life organizations’ rights protected by the First, Fourth, and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, and should stop.”
“Our clients have already expended exorbitant time and financial resources trying to comply with the unreasonable demands made by Washington’s attorney general and we urge the court to swiftly halt his unlawful actions,” said ADF senior counsel Tim Garrison in a Thursday statement.
We’re suing Washington State’s AG for conducting an unconstitutional and unlawful investigation into Obria Group and Obria Medical Groups PNW private records.
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) November 30, 2023
No organization should be singled out for scrutiny because of their life-affirming views.
The lawsuit listed examples of Mr. Ferguson’s pro-choice advocacy as well as his refusal in 2015 to investigate Planned Parenthood over an undercover video into the abortion giant’s providing of aborted fetuses for research.
Mr. Ferguson said his office conducted a review following a request for an investigation by GOP legislators, but found “no evidence to support these allegations or to indicate that Planned Parenthood is violating any state or federal law.”
Others launching investigations into pro-life pregnancy centers since the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade include the New York state health commissioner and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Massachusetts Democrat, who accused the clinics of “deceptive and misleading practices.”
Such clinics, also known as crisis pregnancy centers, became targets of arson, vandalism and threatening graffiti after the Supreme Court’s draft decision was leaked in May 2022.
At least 88 pro-life pregnancy centers and organizations have been attacked since the leak, according to the CatholicVote tracker.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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