Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:
The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments today in the case of National Institute of Family Life Advocates v. Becerra, a challenge to the California FACT Act, a commonsense law that provides women and their families with access to full and accurate information about their reproductive healthcare options. NOW has signed an amicus brief supporting the state of California in its quest to stop what should be an unlawful practice of undermining a woman’s decision as to whether or not to terminate a pregnancy with false information and harmful manipulation.
The law requires state health centers to give their clients notice that the state has public programs that provide free or low-cost access to reproductive health care services, including abortion.
NIFLA is part of a scourge of so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” or fake clinics run by anti-abortion activists that trick people into coming in for comprehensive medical care, and then convince them to carry a pregnancy to term they may not actually want. These centers are even manipulating Google Maps so they rank high in searches for terms like “abortion clinics near me.”
The California law is about freedom of information, but the radical right is afraid of truth. The Supreme Court must tell fake women’s health centers to comply with the law and disclose information women need to protect their reproductive rights.
California NOW grassroots and the National Action Center stand with the state of California and thank them for the foresight and courage to finally take on these harmful tools of the radical right.
Contact
Emily Imhoff, press@now.org, (951) 547-1241