In the last edition of Catalyst, we reported on the efforts of New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer to try to close down crisis pregnancy centers throughout the state. On March 1, he announced that he had withdrawn his subpoenas.
Spitzer, who works closely with NARAL and other pro-abortion groups, targeted the abortion alternative centers for allegedly practicing medicine without a license, false advertising and the like. It smelled of a witch hunt from the beginning.
Evidently, Spitzer didn’t count on the strong grassroots reaction he triggered. Pro-life groups became energized in a way no one predicted. Because the men and women working in the centers were largely Catholic, the Catholic League got involved.
William Donohue wrote a letter to everyone in the New York State Legislature asking them to put pressure on Spitzer. If laws have been broken, Donohue said, then Spitzer should get on with his prosecution. But if this is not the case, then he should drop his crusade.
The Catholic League worked cooperatively with James Manning, John Margand and Ellen Gavin. They, and many others, had the courage to lead the fight. We are happy that so many members wrote letters to Spitzer expressing their concerns. The message got through.
This is an election year and that certainly was not lost on Spitzer. His friends at NARAL lost this battle big. It is our hope that attorney generals in other states were watching.
