Welcome to the TMS Weekly Dispatch for August 18, 2025—with the latest news and updates from the front line, to keep you in-the-know on all things Thomas More Society. If you missed last week’s edition, you can read it  here.   

Here's a look back at the past week:

TMS STEPS IN TO SUPPORT PREGNANCY CENTER TARGETED WITH STATE INVESTIGATION: This past week, Thomas More Society attorneys helped a Massachusetts-based pregnancy center, Pregnancy Care Center Northeast, ward off a spurious attack from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)—which had pursued an investigatory fishing expedition possibly intended to intimidate and even shut down the pro-life ministry. TMS stepped in and represented the pregnancy center in the investigation.

PCC Northeast had earlier received a letter from the MDPH, giving it 10 days to explain why it doesn’t have a clinic license, but offers self-administered pregnancy centers and ultrasounds referrals. PCC Northeast never claimed to have licensed medical staff or to provide medical services, and its ministry does not fall under the purview of the MDPH.  

TMS attorneys sent a letter to the MDPH that explained this and requested the closure of this unfounded investigation following the reply clarifying the state’s apparent legal confusion. Within a week, the matter was resolved, and PCC Northeast is now able to continue its ministry unimpeded and without the headache of a groundless state investigation hanging over their head.  

Massachusetts is overwhelmingly hostile to pro-life pregnancy centers, and legal attacks are becoming more frequent. TMS is currently representing Choose Life Marketing, an ally to pregnancy centers in Massachusetts. You can read more about that case by clicking here.  

LISTEN – PETER BREEN ON “THE WORLD AND EVERYTHING IN IT”: Peter Breen, TMS Executive VP & Head of Litigation, spoke with Mary Reichard, host of WORLD’s Legal Docket segment on the “The World and Everything in It” podcast, about defending pregnancy centers, the fight to protect Abortion Pill Reversal, and the First Amendment.  

Elizabeth Barrett, a mother who experienced firsthand the hopeful second chance that Abortion Pill Reversal offers—thanks to the work Heartbeat International’s Abortion Pill Rescue Network®, also shares her powerful success story, underscoring the reason for this fight.

Listen to this episode’s Legal Docket segment on WORLD’s website (click here) or on your favorite podcast streaming platform, like Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

NEW YORK’S WESTCHESTER COUNTY FOUND LIABLE FOR VIOLATING FREE SPEECH: Last Tuesday, a federal court officially ruled that Westchester County in New York was liable for violating the First Amendment rights of Oksana Hulinsky and Regina Molinelli, two pro-life sidewalk counselors, whose speech had been chilled by part of the County’s pro-abortion law, Chapter 425. A section of Chapter 425 had prohibited “interference” with abortion access, but vaguely defined that to include activities on the public sidewalk that engaged abortion-bound women “by deceptive means or otherwise.”  

The section was found to be unconstitutionally overbroad and vague, in violation of First Amendment principles. “Westchester County’s vague ban on so-called ‘interference’ with abortion access threatened to do exactly that, in blatant violation of the First Amendment, as the Court recognized,” said Michael McHale, TMS Senior Counsel.

Following an earlier March 2025 court order finding issue with the provision, the County amended the municipal law to avoid further litigation. “This ruling sends a powerful message to municipalities nationwide: a vague law targeting pro-life speech will not stand,” reacted Christopher Ferrara, TMS Senior Counsel.  

Read the Court’s order here.