Pregnancy centers have been helping women and men face unplanned pregnancies and new parenthood for nearly 60 years. Today, there are nearly 3,000 of these centers across the country providing pregnancy-related resources and support, typically at no cost. These centers commonly offer pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, STI and STD testing, material assistance such as diapers and baby clothes, referrals for additional medical care and community resources, educational classes, and after-abortion recovery care. Anyone on either side of the abortion issue should be able to get behind these nonpolitical services, and Congress must do all it can to protect its work. Despite their life-saving efforts, pregnancy centers have been the target of attacks for many years. These attacks only increased since the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe v. Wade. Since Roe was overturned, abortion-rights legislators have introduced several bills to intimidate and regulate pregnancy centers, which could ultimately force them to close. These bills range from accusing pregnancy centers of false and “deceptive advertising,” banning abortion pill reversal, requiring licensing and certifications, terminating funding, and ordering studies to investigate pregnancy centers.
Four years after Dobbs, Congress should stop punishing pregnancy centers
The Stop Antiabortion Disinformation Act would chill pregnancy centers’ First Amendment freedoms and punish their mission.
TL;DRAI
Congress proposes bills regulating pregnancy centers post-Dobbs; 2,775 centers face FTC fines and potential closure. Healthcare regulation precedent signals government control over nonprofit providers—implications for compliance, funding, and organizational risk management.
748 words~3 min read
