Sykes, Bonamici, Warren Introduce Bill to Stop Crisis Pregnancy Centers from Spreading Anti-Abortion Disinformation
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today U.S. Representatives Emilia Sykes (OH-13),Suzanne Bonamici (OR-1) and , along with U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), introduced the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act to crack down on the use of misleading advertising and disinformation by crisis pregnancy centers. Crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) often falsely and deliberately advertise themselves to potential clients as comprehensive reproductive health care providers. Each year, thousands of people seeking objective and medically sound reproductive care instead receive inaccurate information about abortion and contraception from these fake clinics. The SAD Act directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit false advertising of abortion services and gives the FTC the authority to enforce the regulations and penalize organizations in violation.
“All Americans deserve comprehensive, accurate, unbiased information from qualified medical professionals when making decisions about their reproductive health,” said Rep. Sykes. “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.”
“Crisis pregnancy centers further their own anti-choice agenda by taking advantage of people seeking reproductive care,” said Rep. Bonamici. “Tragically, when CPCs provide false and misleading information about abortion and contraception, patients do not get necessary medical care. The Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAD) Act will put an end to these unfair and deceptive practices so pregnant Americans can access comprehensive, science-based reproductive care.”
“With reproductive rights under attack in our country, we must push back against misinformation and stop deceptive practices that undermine a woman’s right to choose,” said Sen. Warren. “This bill will protect women and ensure patients get the health care and reproductive services that they need.”
"As a practicing OBGYN, I know firsthand how important it is that pregnant people have access to accurate information so that they can make important decisions about their care and lives without bias, stigma or shame,” said Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Power to Decide CEO and practicing OB-GYN. “We must take proactive steps to protect reproductive health care and prohibit disinformation about abortion that often results in delayed care or no care at all. The SAD Act would address this."
"Fake clinics, also known as Crisis Pregnancy Centers, have one goal: to stop people from accessing the abortion care they're actively seeking,” said Poonam Dreyfus-Pai, Interim Executive Director of the National Network of Abortion Funds. “To do this, they provide misinformation about the risks of abortion, and routinely lie to people about how far into their pregnancy they are, with the hopes that they will stop seeking an abortion. More often than not, this doesn't deter abortion seekers: instead, it wastes their time, and adds increased stigma and judgment on top of everything else they're managing. This includes increased hurdles to accessing care later in pregnancy: higher costs, longer waits, and extensive travel to cities or states where abortions are provided. This is where abortion funds come in: they do the actual work of supporting pregnant people in crisis. They provide money, logistical and travel support, and more to ensure that someone seeking an abortion can get one. We should be investing in abortion funds, rather than these fake clinics. We are grateful to Congresswoman Bonamici, Congresswoman Sykes, and Senator Warren for their leadership on this issue."
“Information is power, and abortion disinformation is a direct threat to the health, well-being and rights of all of us,” said Maria Rodriguez, OHSU Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Director of the Center of Reproductive Health Equity. “This bill will help protect Oregonians and people across the country by ensuring that abortion is informed by science and evidence-based practice.”
The legislation is endorsed by Power to Decide, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Network of Abortion Funds, National Women's Law Center, Guttmacher Institute, National Partnership for Women & Families, Congressional Reproductive Freedom Caucus, Northwest Abortion Access Fund, Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts, and Preterm-Cleveland Inc.
In the House, the SAD Act (H.R. 846) is co-sponsored by Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Dina Titus (NV-01), Dwight Evans (PA-03), Jasmine Crockett (TX 30), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Nydia Velazquez (NY), Gerald E. Connolly (VA-11), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Adam Smith (WA-09), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM 03), Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5), Henry C “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Julia Brownley (CA-26), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Nikki Budzinski (IL-13), Greg Casar (TX-35), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Judy Chu (CA-28), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Dan Goldman (NY-10), Doris Matsui (CA-07), Paul D. Tonko (NY-20), Pramila Jayapal (WA-7), Gwen Moore (WI-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), Frederica S. Wilson (FL-24), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Lizzie Fletcher (TX-07), Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Janelle Bynum (OR-05), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25), Angie Craig (MN-02), Kathy Castor (FL-14), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Kelly Morrison (MN-03), Summer Lee (PA-12), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), John Larson (CT-01), Sylvester Turner (TX-18), Val Hoyle (OR-04), and Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)..
The full text of the legislation can be found here.