Menendez, Warren Lay Bare Republican Hypocrisy After Bill to Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation is Blocked

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) went to the Senate Floor this week toseek unanimous consent for their bill, the Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation (SAAD) Act, which would crack down on false advertising related to abortion services by so-called crisis pregnancy centers (CPC). The legislation, which was introduced alongside 14 other Senate Democrats last month, would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to prohibit deceptive or misleading advertising related to the provision of abortion services and collect penalties from organizations in violation. Sen. Marshall (R-Kan.) objected to the unanimous consent request, walking off the Senate floor after Sens. Menendez and Warren tried to find areas of agreement on the need to protect the personal medical information of pregnant women.

"Make no mistake, crisis pregnancy centers are anti-abortion organizations who cloak themselves in benign language about 'providing answers' and 'offering advice.' They have an agenda - namely, to steer women away from abortion through a combination of guilt, concealment, harassment, and downright lies," said Sen. Menendez. "Because they claim only to provide so-called educational services, they can promote these lies while failing to protect the personal information of pregnant women since they are not bound by federal privacy laws like HIPAA. Women in America deserve the truth and that's what our bill aims to do."

According to the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) Public Health and Surveillance, there are more than 2,500 CPCs in the United States, though some anti-abortion groups claim that the number is closer to 4,000. One study found that, on average, CPCs outnumber abortion clinics nationwide by an average of 3 to 1, but in some states, the ratio is as high as 11 to 1.

The legislation is supported by: Planned Parenthood Federation of America, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Center for Reproductive Rights, Advocates for Youth, American Atheists, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American Public Health Association, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Brooklyn for Reproductive and Gender Equity, Catholics for Choice, Clearinghouse on Women's Issues, Families USA, Feminist Majority Foundation, Guttmacher Institute, In Your Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda, Jewish Women International, Medical Students for Choice, MomsRising, National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, National Birth Equity Collaborative, National Council of Jewish Women, National Council of Jewish Women - New York, National Council of Jewish Women - Greater Miami, National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association, National Health Law Program, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund, National Organization for Women, National Partnership for Women and Families, National Women's Health Network, Nurses for Sexual and Reproductive Health, Physicians for Reproductive Health, Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, Population Institute, Power to Decide, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Reproductive Equity Now, Sexuality Information Education Council of the U.S., SisterReach, and United for Reproductive & Gender Equity.

The full text of the legislation can be found HERE.

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