Supreme Court Decision Awards Free Pass to Deceptive Crisis Pregnancy Centers
The Supreme Court today struck down a California law that protects women from so-called Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCs) by requiring them to disclose the facts about the services they provide. In a 5-4 decision in National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA) v. Becerra, the Court ruled that California’s Reproductive FACT (Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency) Act violated Constitutional First Amendment speech protections.
Said Nancy Northup, President and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights:
“We disagree with the Court’s decision that fake health centers have a free speech right to dress up like medical centers and deceive pregnant women. This decision leaves unanswered the question of why the anti-choice movement relies on deceptive tactics like fake health centers to pursue their aim of denying the right to decide to end a pregnancy.
“Women should be given the dignity and respect of having full and accurate information to make their health care decisions. We will continue to work to ensure this is guaranteed in law.”
The FACT Act requires unlicensed facilities that provide pregnancy-related services to inform potential clients that there is no licensed medical professional providing care or supervising the facility. The Act also requires some licensed clinics to post or distribute a notice about the availability of state programs that provide access to family planning, abortion, and prenatal care.
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