{"id":274238,"date":"2022-08-16T18:46:16","date_gmt":"2022-08-16T23:46:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=274238"},"modified":"2022-10-24T22:10:01","modified_gmt":"2022-10-25T03:10:01","slug":"avalanche-city-ordinances-target-pregnancy-centers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/avalanche-city-ordinances-target-pregnancy-centers\/","title":{"rendered":"Avalanche of city ordinances target speech and services of pregnancy resource centers"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

City Council ordinances in multiple states are targeting pro-life pregnancy resource centers (PRCs), falsely claiming that PRCs are “deceptive” and only offer “limited services” simply because they do not commit abortions. In reality, many abortion businesses\u00a0offer<\/a> either solely or primarily the “limited service” of abortion, yet these city ordinances conveniently exempt abortion businesses and Planned Parenthood facilities from the same scrutiny they apply to PRCs.<\/p>\n

In fact,\u00a0some City Council members have admitted they put forth these measures at the\u00a0urging<\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0pro-abortion groups (Reproductive Equity Now as well as Planned Parenthood), and are working<\/a> with Planned Parenthood in an attempt to crush the PRCs that the industry views as their “competition.”<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Image:

Proabortion Ordinances target prolife pregnancy centers definition<\/p><\/div>\n

State ordinances already passed<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Amhurst, MA:<\/strong>\u00a0‘Deceptive Advertising Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers,’ a bylaw presented<\/a>\u00a0by Councilman Devlin Gauthier in April, held a fine of $300 was sent out for further review.\u00a0But in May, Town Councilor Ana Devlin Gauthier\u00a0proposed<\/a> a by-law to “to prevent deceptive advertising in Amherst by Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC)” falsely claiming that “women are pressured to continue the pregnancy, and medical services are not offered.” The\u00a0Board then voted 4-0 in favor of writing a letter of support of the proposal.<\/p>\n

During the comment period, the Council heard<\/a> from Carrie N. Baker, an alleged expert who\u00a0promoted herself as simply a professor at Smith College in Northampton, MA. What Baker failed to disclose is that, according to her website<\/a>, she is also the “former President of the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts<\/a> and current advisory board member.” In addition, the website states that Baker “also works to expand abortion rights in Massachusetts as a board member of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts<\/a>.” And according to Commonwealth Magazine<\/a>, Baker is a “Northampton resident and magazine journalist who helped craft ordinances in Northampton and Easthampton.”<\/p>\n

\"Image:

Carrie N Baker targets prolife pregnancy centers worked with Planned Parenthood and abortion funding group<\/p><\/div>\n

Cambridge, MA:<\/strong>\u00a0In June, Cambridge City Councilor Quinton Zondervan, who once tweeted<\/a> that he was a “NARAL MA City Champion,” as well as Vice-Mayor Alanna Mallon<\/a>\u00a0sponsored an ordinance that would prohibit the Cambridge city manager from issuing permits or licenses for \u201cLimited Services Pregnancy Centers<\/a>\u201d according to\u00a0NBCBoston.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On June 27, 2022<\/a> the City Council<\/a>\u00a0acknowledged that “there do not seem to be any limited services pregnancy centers operating in Cambridge” yet they ordered that the City Manager be requested to direct the City Solicitor to review the anti-pregnancy center proposal and report back to the Council. The proposal was\u00a0moved<\/a> to a committee on August 2nd.<\/p>\n

\"Image:

NARAL City Champion Cambridge Ma City Councilman targets prolife pregnancy center (Image: Twitter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Columbus, OH:<\/strong>\u00a0The City Council\u00a0allocated<\/a>\u00a0over $26,000 to Pro-Choice Ohio, originally\u00a0founded<\/a>\u00a0as a NARAL affiliate (note: the\u00a0national offices of NARAL were originally\u00a0co-founded<\/a>\u00a0by eugenicists), to \u201cexamine\u201d pregnancy resource centers and\u00a0determine whether \u201cresidents of the City of Columbus have access to medically accurate and legal reproductive health information.\u201d As Live Action News previously<\/a> documented,\u00a0the\u00a0ordinance<\/a>\u00a0language claimed that \u201cthere is a need for determining if crisis pregnancy centers provide effective, accurate, and comprehensive information and services in their crisis pregnancy centers in Columbus.\u201d The ordinance authorizes the City Clerk to \u201center into a non-profit service agreement with Pro-Choice Ohio.”<\/p>\n

New York:<\/strong>\u00a0On August 2<\/a>, “A\u00a0Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of consumer and worker protection to implement an outreach and education campaign on facilities that\u00a0deceptively advertise<\/a> or are otherwise misleading when offering reproductive health services,” was enacted.<\/p>\n

The text<\/a> reads, “Facilities that deceptively advertise or are otherwise misleading when offering reproductive health services, including information related to: (i) services such facilities do and do not typically provide; (ii) how such facilities typically depict their services to the public; (iii) the effect such facilities have on timely and safe access to pregnancy related services; (iv) how to make a complaint regarding deceptive behaviors by such facilities.” It also states that “The information required by this paragraph shall be made available to the public and may be updated as necessary with relevant findings by the state of New York and organizations dedicated to providing comprehensive reproductive health services<\/em>” (emphasis added) \u2014 in other words, pro-abortion organizations will be tasked with research on PRCs.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh, PA: <\/strong>The Council\u00a0approved<\/a>\u00a0(July 19, 2022)\u00a0an\u00a0ordinance<\/a>\u00a0sponsored by Councilmen Bobby Wilson, Erika Strassburger, and Corey O\u2019Connor that\u00a0would<\/a>\u00a0\u201ccreate a new CHAPTER 607: Regulation of\u00a0Deceptive\u00a0Advertising by Limited Services Pregnancy Centers.\u201d<\/p>\n

Councilman\u00a0Wilson suggested to WESA that free speech on abortion would be available as long as it is kept limited to church. \u201cThey can say that in their church, but when someone\u2019s seeking out health care, it\u2019s wrong,\u201d Wilson\u00a0told<\/a>\u00a0WESA.<\/p>\n

Somerville, MA:<\/b> A March 25, 2022 post<\/a> by Planned Parenthood states that the Somerville City Council “passed the Crisis Pregnancy Center (CPC) ordinance (Number 283570. ‘CONCERNING DECEPTIVE ADVERTISING PRACTICES OF LIMITED SERVICES PREGNANCY CENTERS.’\u00a0 According to the ordinance, a limited services pregnancy center that intends to perform a pregnancy related service cannot publicly engage in false and deceptive advertising or disseminate misinformation or disinformation regarding pregnancy-related services. Each failure to comply with the requirements in the ordinance will be deemed a separate offense. Failure to comply can result in a fine of up to $300.” The measure was proposed by Councilor Kristen Strezo.<\/a><\/p>\n

Worcester, MA: <\/b>Live Action News previously<\/a> reported that the\u00a0City Council of Worcester, Massachusetts, voted<\/a> 6-5 to request that the city manager and city solicitor draft an ordinance \u201cconcerning deceptive advertising practices of limited pregnancy centers and prohibiting such activities from being permitted in the city.\u201d The measure was supported by Mayor Petty, Councilor Thu Nguyen, Councilors Khrystian E. King, Sean M. Rose, George J. Russell and Etel Haxhiaj, according to<\/a>\u00a0theCatholic Free Press.\u00a0The definitions<\/a> are similar to those outlined in other cities and the ordinance<\/a> would hold a criminal penalty of $300.<\/p>\n

Proposals which may not yet have passed full Council<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Allentown, Pennsylvania<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0City Council\u00a0Bill 61<\/a>\u00a0purports to \u201cprevent[] any statement concerning any pregnancy-related service or the provision of any pregnancy-related service that is deceptive.\u201d The bill defines any “limited services pregnancy center” as \u201ca pregnancy services center that\u00a0does not directly provide, or provide referrals for, abortions or emergency contraception\u201d and restricts that center’s speech in public statements, newspapers or other publications, advertising devices, Internet, or statements.\u00a0The bill is coming up for a vote soon. Read more at Live Action News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Easthampton, MA<\/b>:<\/strong> On May 4, 2022<\/a>, Council members Owen Zaret, Koni Denham, and\u00a0Salem Derby submitted their proposal, modeled after ordinances in San Francisco and Somerville. The ordinance reads, “No limited services pregnancy center, with the intent to perform a pregnancy-related service, shall make or disseminate before the public, or cause to be made or disseminated before the public, in any newspaper or other publication, through any advertising device, or in any other manner, including, but not limited to, through use of the Internet, any statement concerning any pregnancy-related service or the provision of any pregnancy-related service that is deceptive, whether by statement or omission, and that a limited services pregnancy center knows or reasonably should know to be deceptive.” Violators of the ordinance could be subject to fines of up to $300.<\/p>\n

Councilor Zaret claimed<\/a>\u00a0PRCs “offer only non-medical options” and ” target certain communities including minorities and black\/brown people.” Zaret also claimed to media<\/a>\u00a0that the ordinance, which doesn’t include for-profit abortion facilities, is about consumer protection.<\/p>\n

On August 3<\/a>, the Council<\/a> ruled that no vote would be taken at this meeting and the subject would be sent back to committee for further review.<\/p>\n

The proposal seems to have been suggested by pro-abortion organizations. According to MassLive.com<\/a>,\u00a0Mayor Nicole LaChapelle\u00a0said\u00a0she was approached earlier in the year by Reproductive Equity Now to enact the ordinance. City Councilor Owen Zaret said Planned Parenthood suggested that he propose the ordinance, entitled, \u201cDeceptive Advertising Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers.”<\/p>\n

Los Angeles, CA:<\/strong>\u00a0According to Spectrum News1<\/a>, on August 4, 2022<\/a>, “Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer proposed a law… that would prohibit pregnancy service centers from misleading people about reproductive health services, including abortion, with tactics such as false advertising. The proposed ordinance, which Feuer sent to the city council… has not yet been endorsed by a council member but would take effect immediately if passed. It would be enforced by Feuer\u2019s office, with fines of $10,000 per violation<\/strong>\u00a0[emphasis added]. It would also allow victims to sue for compensation if they believe they have been misled,” they reported. “Feuer declined to say whether his proposed law \u2014 which bears some similarities to a San Francisco law passed in 2011 that prohibits false advertising from limited-services pregnancy centers \u2014 was preemptive.”<\/p>\n

[UPDATE<\/b>: The LA City Council approved<\/a> the ordinance<\/a> October 21, 2022.\u00a0You can watch the Council meeting here<\/a>.]<\/p>\n

\n
\n

?Strengthening reproductive rights.<\/p>\n

?Calling upon the City Council to take up our proposed law on crisis pregnancy centers and to enact it with the urgency it deserves. #RoeVsWade<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/5xp8YO7Oge<\/a><\/p>\n

— The Office of Mike Feuer, L.A. City Attorney (@CityAttorneyLA) August 5, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n