The Fight Over Abortion In Hawaii

Religious anti-abortion groups are trading legal fire with state attorneys over whether a new Hawaii law regulating certain pregnancy clinics violates First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and religion.

Legislative supporters of Senate Bill 501, now Act 200, said it ensures Hawaii women receive comprehensive and unbiased information about pregnancy options. But some pregnancy centers affiliated with religious organizations say it forces them to promote abortion in violation of their beliefs and stated missions.

Attorney General spokesman Joshua Wisch said state attorneys are preparing for the next hearing in the case Sept. 22, but declined to elaborate.

One day after Gov. David Ige signed Act 200 into law in July, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates partnered with affiliate Calvary Chapel Pearl Harbor, which runs the pregnancy center A Place for Women in Waipio, to sue Ige and Attorney General Douglas Chin over the law.

Read more: http://www.civilbeat.org/2017/09/the-fight-over-abortion-in-hawaii/