| Friend, California has long been a bastion of defense for reproductive freedom. But, our state is also home to 180 crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) -- fake medical clinics set up by far-right groups to look like abortion providers but with the express goal of stopping pregnant people from having abortions or getting contraception.(1) CPCs have a long track record of lying to patients about medical facts, but a new letter released by a watchdog group highlights their potential lack of adequate patient privacy protections as well.(2) Anyone dealing with sensitive patient data, like your doctor, must follow strict patient privacy information. But, because CPCs provide care for free, they are not technically governed by patient privacy laws. Medical privacy has always been a serious issue. And today, when so many states are passing progressively harsher laws around abortion access, the need to protect patient privacy is more important than ever. State Attorney General Rob Bonta has already taken action to alert Californians and sue the companies over their deceptive practices, and now we have an opportunity to ask him to protect people who have already visited these centers. Will you sign our petition calling AG Bonta to open a new investigation??
CPCs claim that they comply with health data privacy requirements laid out under HIPAA, but their long history of misleading and flat-out lying to pregnant people leaves copious room for doubt.(3) A 2015 NARAL research report conducted in California showed that CPCs in our state regularly pedal lies about abortion–including sharing debunked information about the link between abortion and breast cancer, misleading information about abortion risks, and much more.(4) CPCs are rarely staffed by medical professionals, and many shame and psychologically manipulate pregnant people into continuing their pregnancies.(5) In California, less than two-thirds of counties have an abortion clinic, but 80% have a CPC.(6) In rural areas of the state, CPCs outnumber abortion providers 11 to 2.(7) As abortion access wanes around the country, more and more pregnant people look to California for the care they need. For patients coming from states with abortion bans and criminalization laws on the books, the lack of patient privacy guarantee provided by CPCs is particularly terrifying. For too long, CPCs have been using religious liberty under the First Amendment to peddle abortion lies. Even in blue states like California, they have been steadily expanding their reach, spreading lies about abortion and contraception. Fortunately, AG Bonta and other Democratic leaders nationwide are finding creative new ways to challenge the expansion of CPCs and protect pregnant people from lies.(8) Every pregnant person deserves access to accurate medical information in a safe and caring environment staffed by medical professionals. Every patient also deserves a full guarantee of privacy when they seek reproductive care. Yours in the fight for reproductive rights! –Irene, Annie, Angela, Isidra, Mario, Marvin, Alyssa, Jen, and Lindsay (the Courage team)
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