Rep. Sykes Condemns Legislation That Would Use Taxpayer Dollars To Fund Dangerous Anti-Abortion Centers
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) voted against H.R. 6918, extreme legislation that would divert critical Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) assistance away from struggling families to fund anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers.
“Just days away from the 51st anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the extreme House majority is once again ramming through legislation to restrict your reproductive freedom,” said Rep. Sykes. “H.R. 6918 attempts to subvert a woman’s right to medically accurate, safe health care by misleading, tricking and shaming them out of the care they deserve. Plain and simple – the government should not be using your hard-earned taxpayer dollars to spread dangerous, anti-abortion misinformation that restricts your reproductive freedom and puts lives at risk. I will always fight to protect a woman’s freedom to make her own healthcare decisions.”
In April 2023, Rep. Sykes introduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act to stop anti-abortion centers, sometimes referred to as crisis pregnancy centers, from spreading deceptive advertising about abortion care. Many anti-abortion centers falsely and deliberately advertise themselves as comprehensive reproductive health care providers. To discourage their clients from having abortions, they routinely disseminate inaccurate information about abortion and contraception. The SAD Act directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit unfair or deceptive advertising related to the provision of abortion services and authorizes the FTC to enforce these rules and collect penalties from organizations in violation.