San Diego County District 3 Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is asking the board to consider a policy to explore lawsuits that could shut down up to 16 crisis pregnancy centers across the region.
“They're fake centers pretending to offer reproductive health care advice to women,” she said during a Monday press conference. “Luring unsuspecting women into their doors with misleading information — women who are looking for medical advice, looking for medical help.”
Speakers at the press conference said these types of clinics have been operating in the county for decades, but Lawson-Remer said they’ve become bolder in recent years.
“They're doing a lot of advertising,” the supervisor said. “So when women google ‘pregnancy help' or questions, 'abortion, prenatal care,’ these centers are coming up in the search engine.”
In September, state Attorney General Rob Bonta initiated legal action against two crisis pregnancy centers in other parts of California.
“Crisis pregnancy centers are dangerous. They’re run by anti-abortion volunteers who are not trained medical professionals,” said Planned Parenthood’s Dr. Toni Marengo.
The chief medical officer with Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest said they also “spread misinformation about abortion in service of their own political agenda.”
Carolyn Koole disagrees. She is the Executive Director at Hope Clinic for Women in Fallbrook.
“If the Board really wanted to aid women in unsupported pregnancies, they would be promoting pregnancy centers, not trying to shut them down,” Koole said. “It is a travesty that they are directly targeting centers whose mission is to aid women at no cost solely because they are pro-abortion and we are not."
In addition to exploring lawsuits against crisis pregnancy centers, Lawson Remer’s policy would create a public education campaign about the centers.
The legislation would also provide more information about reproductive health resources, including abortions, to residents.
Her request will be considered at Tuesday’s regular board meeting.
