“National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) is pleased to be at the US Supreme Court for oral arguments in NIFLA v. Becerra. The court will determine whether requiring “fake women’s health centers,” which counsel against abortion and contraceptive access, to tell patients that the state offers contraception services and abortion assistance violates free speech guarantees for California.  “There are more than 2,700 of these fake women’s health centers all over the country, often run by ideological groups that have only one goal: to prevent abortion by lying to women. These centers prey on women at a vulnerable moment in their lives by pushing medically inaccurate information, using deceptive advertising, running misleading websites, and engaging in a variety of other dishonest tactics to lure women seeking care and information about their full range of reproductive health care options. 

“In California, NCJW mobilized Jewish women throughout the state to advocate through social media and direct lobbying in support of passage of the FACT Act in 2015. According to NCJW State Policy Advocates Claire Lipschultz and Barbara Baran, ‘It’s a critical piece of legislation that protects woman from the harmful lies being spread by fake woman’s health centers all throughout California and the country.’ 

“A panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit upheld the law, saying the state could regulate professional speech and had a valid interest in safeguarding public health. California’s Reproductive FACT Act requires the centers to disclose whether they have medical personnel on staff and to inform women that the state offers subsidized contraceptives and abortion. Women and families seeking healthcare or counseling during pregnancy deserve and require accurate, unbiased, and comprehensive information and medical advice. They should be able to trust that their health care providers will put them first. Pregnant women need accurate and timely information about their full range of options, not lies or evasion.”