Rep. Sykes Introduces Legislation to Crack Down on Anti-Abortion Disinformation by Crisis Pregnancy Centers
WASHINGTON, D.C.– Today, U.S. Representative Emilia Strong Sykes (OH-13), along with Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act to stop crisis pregnancy centers from spreading deceptive advertising about abortion care.
Many crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) 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.
“All Americans deserve comprehensive, accurate, unbiased information from qualified medical professionals when making decisions about their reproductive health. But too often, people go to crisis pregnancy centers expecting a certain level of care due to their misleading name only to find they can’t get the medical attention they need,” said Rep. Emilia Sykes. “These centers purposefully use deceptive, aggressive, and coercive tactics to target vulnerable individuals, including low-income and minority communities. The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act would save lives in Ohio’s 13th District and across the country by stopping the spread of dangerous misinformation that fuels high maternal and infant mortality rates. As access to reproductive health is restricted and attacked across the country, this legislation will ensure Americans have the freedom to make informed healthcare decisions that are best for them.”
“Each year thousands of Americans - often desperate and distressed - walk into the doors of crisis pregnancy centers expecting to receive accurate and comprehensive reproductive health care from a qualified health professional, only to be offered disinformation from people with an anti-choice agenda,” said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici. “At a time when abortion care is under attack, patients need to know they can trust their providers. The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act will finally put an end to the deceptive advertising crisis pregnancy centers use to trick people into visiting their so-called clinics and stop the deceptive information these centers spread once people are inside.”
The legislation is endorsed by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, American Public Health Association, Guttmacher Institute, Power to Decide, National Women’s Law Center, National Birth Equity Collaborative, National Organization for Women, National Women’s Health Network, Medical Students for Choice, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, National Health Law Program (NHeLP), IPAS Partners for Reproductive Justice, Physicians for Reproductive Health, National Council of Jewish Women, Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, Catholics for Choice, American Atheists, and National Council of Jewish Women New York.
In the House, the legislation is co-sponsored by Lori Trahan (MA-3), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-7), Dina Titus (NV-1), Mark Takano (CA-39), Katie Porter (CA-47), Marc Veasey (TX-33), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Summer Lee (PA-12), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Chellie Pingree (ME-1), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Annie Kuster (NH-02), Jamaal Bowman (NY-16), Gerald Connolly (VA-11), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04). Lois Frankel (FL-21), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-5), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Alma Adams (NC-12), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), Judy Chu (CA-28), Jennifer McClellan (VA-4), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Jared Huffman (CA-2), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Colin Allred (TX-32), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY), and Jake Auchincloss (MA-04).
In the Senate, the legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Jeff Merkley, Dianne Feinstein, Bernie Sanders, Peter Welch, Richard Blumenthal, Mark R. Warner, Mazie Hirono, Ron Wyden, Cory Booker, Ed Markey, Patty Murray, and Catherine Cortez Masto.
The Akron-Canton area currently has 26 crisis pregnancy centers but only one licensed abortion clinic. While serving as Minority Leader in the Ohio Statehouse, Rep. Sykes called on Gov. DeWine to veto state funding for crisis pregnancy centers. These centers have consistently been funded through the state, receiving $7.5 million in the 2019 budget and $6 million in 2021. Gov. DeWine also issued an executive order in 2022 that gave an additional $1.5 million to these centers.
Rep. Sykes graduated with her master’s in public health from the University of Florida in 2011, where she completed her capstone project on the harmful impacts of crisis pregnancy centers in Ohio. In November 2011, the American Public Health Association issued a policy statement based in part on Rep. Sykes’ research supporting legislative efforts to require crisis pregnancy centers disclose they are not medical facilities and prohibit their deceptive marketing practices.