03/31/2006

Pregnancy Centers Respond to Another Attempt by Abortion Groups to Shut Down Competition

STERLING, Va., March 31 -- A coalition of national pregnancy center organizations responded Friday to new legislation introduced by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (NY) to "direct the Federal Trade Commission to prescribe rules prohibiting fraudulent advertising of abortion services." The coalition, including Care Net, Heartbeat International, and National Institute of Family Life Advocates (NIFLA), called the legislation an "old, recycled" attempt to attack pregnancy centers which help women find alternatives to abortion.

"This is nothing more than a routine attack on pregnancy centers by organizations seeking to limit their competition," said Care Net President Kurt Entsminger. "This legislation is unnecessary as it aims to cure an ill that doesn’t exist. Our network of pregnancy centers are held to a high standard of integrity regarding truth and honesty in advertising. We find it particularly curious that in her announcement Rep. Maloney did not cite one example of a pregnancy center that is engaging in deceptive advertising."

Jor-El Godsey, Vice President of Affiliate Services for Heartbeat International said, "Abortion providers are clearly threatened by the grassroots, community efforts represented by compassionate, caring pregnancy centers to reach women struggling with the difficult decisions an unplanned or unintended pregnancy can create. Pregnancy centers, by and large, are committed to the fact that informed choice represents the best choice."

"We agree that women deserve truthful, accurate information about their reproductive health care choices," said Peggy Wolock, General Counsel for Heartbeat International. "Too many women are not told of the emotional and physical risks of abortion until it’s too late. If we truly want to empower women, we need to come alongside them, support them, and give them good information about fetal development, abortion procedures, and their options."

"Pregnancy help centers, particularly those who are medical clinics, are providing accurate, truthful, and complete information to empower women to choose life," said Tom Glessner, President of NIFLA. "The only fraudulent activity in this arena comes from those in the abortion industry who want to withhold truthful information from abortion-vulnerable women."

Joining the national pregnancy center organizations was Kim Conroy, Director of Sanctity of Human Life at Focus on the Family, who said, "Women deserve to be fully informed of all the facts and have accurate medical information prior to getting an abortion. And, they deserve to get that information from an entity that is not going to financially profit from their decision. Focus on the Family’s Option Ultrasound Program(TM); helps clinics provide accurate medical information with the utmost integrity for those women considering abortion."

The 1,900 pregnancy centers that participate with the Option Line call center pledge to uphold the Commitment of Care, which states: "All of our advertising and communications are truthful and honest and accurately describe the services we offer." The Option Line call center refers women looking for help with an unplanned pregnancy to a local pregnancy center in her community. The Option Line is owned and operated by Care Net and Heartbeat International, who, along with NIFLA, maintain strict guidelines for their pregnancy center affiliates regarding truth and accuracy in advertising.