Blog for Choice | Putting a Stop to Deceptive Advertising

I'm happy to a report that there's a good bill moving its way through Congress!

Last week, Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York introduced the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act, which would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the authority to protect women from anti-choice "crisis pregnancy centers" (CPCs) that use deceptive advertising practices.

CPCs are fake clinics often staffed by anti-choice activists who mislead and lie to women about abortion and birth control. The primary reason they exist is to scare women away from choosing legal abortion care. Investigations by NARAL Pro-Choice America and our state affiliates, along with a congressional study, have revealed that most CPCs are not regulated and often engage in false advertising.

Under the Stop Deceptive Advertising for Women's Services Act, the FTC could penalize organizations that engage in these practices.

Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, praised the proposed legislation:

We applaud Rep. Maloney's and Sen. Menendez' continued leadership in making sure women are not misled about their health-care options. It's time for Congress to step in and hold these fake "clinics" accountable. Even though we may have differences of opinion on abortion, Americans value honesty in advertising. We should all agree that a woman should not be misled or manipulated when she's facing an unintended pregnancy.

Want to urge your member of Congress to cosponsor this bill? Send your representative an email right now. And be sure to check out our campaign to stop CPCs from misleading women.