Appeals court returns Baltimore pregnancy center case to lower court

BALTIMORE, July 4 (UPI) -- Baltimore officials say they won't enforce a law requiring pregnancy centers to post signs indicating whether they offer abortions, until a lawsuit is settled.

A federal appeals court Wednesday reversed a lower-court decision that found the law violates the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech, The Baltimore Sun reported. The appeals court did not rule on the merits of the law, and returned the case to the district court.

Wednesday's decision found the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore and another church did not have standing to be plaintiffs in the case. That leaves the Greater Baltimore Center for Pregnancy Concerns alone in the lawsuit.

Suzanne Sangree, a lawyer for the city, said the ordinance is strictly for "consumer protection."

Critics say pregnancy crisis centers aim to confuse women considering abortion, sometimes causing them to delay until it is too late.