WASHINGTON – In a monumental decision Tuesday for free speech, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that counseling conversations are speech and that states cannot silence viewpoints in the counseling room.

ADF Senior Counsel Denise Burke:  “Many women seeking abortions say they’d prefer to choose life if they had more support. While pregnancy centers can fulfill that need, they face real and growing threats. Thankfully, the CARE Act prohibits state and local officials from censoring or discriminating against pregnancy centers simply because they do not provide, counsel in favor of, or refer for abortion….”

HELSINKI – In a narrow 3–2 decision, the Finnish Supreme Court has found parliamentarian Päivi Räsänen guilty of “hate speech” on one charge relating to the expression of her beliefs on marriage and sexual ethics in a 20-year-old church pamphlet.