New York City, N.Y., Mar 18, 2011 / 04:18 am
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has signed a bill that places new demands on crisis pregnancy centers, despite two recent federal rulings that called its constitutionality into question.
Mayor Bloomberg said on March 16 that he was signing “Introduction 0-371A” into law with a “clear conscience,” and that those who objected to the law were free to challenge it in court. At least one organization, Expectant Mother Care, is already working with the American Center for Law and Justice to file suit in federal court on March 20, disputing the law.
“The Mayor himself admitted the law may be unconstitutional,” observed attorney Tiffany Barrans of the American Center for Law and Justice.
She said it was “a shame” that Mayor Bloomberg had “chosen to subject the taxpayers of New York to a lawsuit, rather than postpone the signing to determine if the legislation is actually legal and constitutional.”