California Gov. Jerry Brown has signed a bill that will require all licensed medical facilities including pro-life pregnancy centres to inform clients that free or low-cost abortion services are available at state-funded facilities.
The bill, known as the Reproductive FACT Act, has been described by anti-abortion activists as a "bully bill," according to the Christian News Network.
They said the text of the act, authored by Democrat Assemblyman David Chiu, censures pregnancy centres that don't provide abortion referrals to women.
Chiu contends that, unfortunately, "there are nearly 200 licensed and unlicensed clinics known as crisis pregnancy centres (CPCs) in California whose goal is to interfere with women's ability to be fully informed and exercise their reproductive rights, and that CPCs pose as full-service women's health clinics, but aim to discourage and prevent women from seeking abortions."
The new law requires all licensed covered facilities that provide family planning and pregnancy-related services to inform clients of the following: "California has public programs that provide immediate free or low-cost access to comprehensive family planning services (including all FDA-approved methods of contraception), prenatal care, and abortion, for eligible women. To determine whether you qualify, contact the county social services office at (telephone number)."
The legislation drew praise from SupportBlack Women for Wellness and NARAL Pro-Choice California, which served as co-sponsors of the proposal. Religious leaders also signed a letter to support the measure.
Facilities that will refuse to comply will be fined $500 for the first offense, and $1,000 thereafter.
Brown signed the bill Friday last week.
"Today, California became the first state in the nation to raise the standard for informing women and mitigate the dangerous impact of anti-choice crisis pregnancy centres," according to Amy Everitt, director of NARAL Pro-Choice California. "This is an exciting victory for supporters of true reproductive freedom, and just one more step in our campaign to expose CPCs and hold them accountable for their dangerous tactics."
But others said the law violates the First Amendment.
"Does the government have a right to tell a newspaper what to write, a preacher what to preach, a private school what to teach? Of course not," said Republican Assemblywoman Shannon Grove. "So why is it okay for the government to force pro-life pregnancy centres against their will to advertise and promote government abortion services?"
"To force these centres to post and to distribute how to obtain free abortions cuts to the core of their founding purpose and their reason for being," said Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson.
The new law also orders unlicensed facilities to inform it clients the following message: "This facility is not licensed as a medical facility by the State of California and has no licensed medical provider who provides or directly supervises the provision of services."
