Vermont has amended a law that restricted pro-life pregnancy centers from providing services to women and families in the state. 

The law was first signed by Vermont Gov. Phil Scott in May 2023. The law defines pregnancy centers that do not offer emergency contraception or abortions as “limited-services” centers. The law barred these centers from advertising their services and prohibited centers from counseling women against abortion. Such centers could only offer information and non-medical services through a licensed health care provider. However, abortion facilities offering the same information could continue to do so without a licensed health care provider.

In July 2023, pro-life pregnancy centers Aspire Now and Branches Pregnancy Resource Center, as well as The National Institute of Family and Life Advocates, filed suit against state officials, arguing that the law “violates the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution by imposing vague and viewpoint discriminatory laws that target speech and conduct and are not narrowly tailored to any asserted state interest.”

On May 29, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), who represented the centers, filed for a stipulated dismissal of the suit after Vermont amended the law’s language that targeted pregnancy centers and restricted their services.

Among those defended in the suit was Jean Marie Davis, a Christian woman who serves as the executive director of Branches Pregnancy Resource Center.

Abused and molested by family and friends as a child, Davis was sex trafficked at the age of 12 and turned to prostitution when she was kicked out of her home. For nearly 10 years, she was trafficked across 33 states. When she became pregnant, her sex trafficker threatened to kill her. She fled and eventually stumbled upon a pregnancy resource center, where she heard the Gospel from a counselor. Davis became a Christian and chose not to abort her son.

Davis spoke to Live Action in an interview, recalling how the pregnancy resource center impacted her, saying, “Because of the pregnancy resource center, I not only graduated from the women’s program. I went to Northpoint Bible College and graduated with an associate’s degree.”

“Our work powerfully shows that there is real help for men, women, and children in need who are caught in impossible snares and feel there is no hope—whether it’s human trafficking, homelessness, abuse, or abortion,” Davis said. “Pregnancy centers like Branches exist to provide for them. The hateful narratives that smear pro-life pregnancy centers would have some believe that I fell ‘victim’ to their work. On the contrary, because of their work, I was set free.”

ADF Legal Counsel Julia Payne Koon responded to the revision.

“Women who become unexpectedly pregnant should know they have life-affirming options available to them, from emotional support to practical resources, which is exactly what our clients offer,” said Koon. “We’re pleased that Vermont recognized it needed to amend its discriminatory law that unlawfully targeted faith-based pregnancy centers and restricted their ability to speak and act according to their conscience. Pregnancy centers must be free to serve and empower women and their families by offering the support they need without fear of unjust government punishment.”

Photo: Alliance Defending Freedom