A press conference called by a crisis pregnancy center—the SCV Pregnancy Center in Santa Clarita, Calif.—on May 24, 2023. Across the U.S., more than 2,500 crisis pregnancy centers operate, outnumbering abortion clinics 3 to 1. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) |
BY CARRIE N. BAKER and JENIFER MCKENNA | On Thursday, July 27, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker (D) signed “The Deceptive Practices of Limited Services Pregnancy Centers Act” (SB 1909) into law, prohibiting anti-abortion “crisis pregnancy centers” (CPCs) from using deception or fraud to interfere with a person seeking access to abortion or other reproductive health services. The law became effective as of signing.
“Women need access to comprehensive, fact-based healthcare when making critical decision about their own health—not manipulation or misinformation from politically motivated, non-medical actors,” said Pritzker. “By empowering the attorney general’s office to battle deceptive practices, we’re ensuring Illinoisans can make their own decisions about their bodies using accurate and safe information.”
“Misinformation is a form of injustice, particularly when it is used in an attempt to control women’s healthcare decisions,” added Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton. “In Illinois, we refuse to accept anything less than bodily autonomy for all, and that includes the right to accessible and accurate medical information. We are committed to protecting Illinoisans from these manipulative tactics and ensuring all have the power to choose what is best for their futures.”
Illinois is the fourth state, following Connecticut, Colorado and Vermont, to enact a law reigning in the deceptive practices of CPCs, also known as limited service pregnancy centers (LSPCs), which often masquerade as reproductive health clinics to lure vulnerable women, and use lies and disinformation about abortion to pressure them to carry pregnancies to term.viding the best possible care to people in those particular situations.” (Click here to read more) |
