{"id":295972,"date":"2023-08-06T15:35:29","date_gmt":"2023-08-06T20:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=295972"},"modified":"2023-08-04T15:50:19","modified_gmt":"2023-08-04T20:50:19","slug":"massachusetts-city-anti-pregnancy-center-ordinance-fails","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/massachusetts-city-anti-pregnancy-center-ordinance-fails\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts city’s anti-pregnancy center ordinance fails"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A proposed ordinance to disparage and penalize pregnancy resource centers (PRCs) in the city of Easthampton, Massachusetts, has died. The City Council failed to secure enough votes on August 2 to overturn the mayor’s July veto<\/a> of the ordinance.<\/p>\n

The ordinance aimed to silence the so-called “deceptive advertising” by PRCs, which do not offer or refer women for abortions. According to the New Boston Post<\/a>, the ordinance would have also had the city “endorse” abortion, would have the city “notify the public” about ways residents could file a consumer complaint against a PRC, and would have prohibited city employees from providing information about people involved with abortion to out-of-state officials.<\/p>\n

The city currently has one PRC, Bethlehem House, which was vandalized<\/a> last year.<\/p>\n

On July 5, City Council members voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, but it was vetoed the next day by Mayor Nicole LaChapelle. Though LaChapelle is pro-abortion, she feared the ordinance’s passage would cause the city to be subject to costly litigation. Although it initially appeared the council would have the necessary six votes needed to override LaChapelle’s veto, one council member changed his mind and the resulting 5-3 vote means that the ordinance has died.<\/p>\n