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Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate filled Baltimore City Council chambers for a contentious hearing on legislation that would require pregnancy counseling clinics that do not provide abortion services to post signs indicating that policy.
The legislation would affect four centers, two of which are funded by the Roman Catholic Church. The centers provide adoption information and counseling, but do not perform abortions or issue contraceptives.
City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake introduced the bill at the behest of Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization that hopes the Baltimore legislation will serve as a model for a national effort.
"This is a bill about truth in advertising," Rawlings-Blake said. "Crisis pregnancy centers provide good and charitable work. A simple sign insures everyone walking into a center knows what to expect."
But leaders from several pregnancy centers flatly denied that they create any confusion and said the legislation is a form of political harassment because it is so narrowly focused.
Carol Clews, who oversees one center, showed a release form and a statement of care they post in their facility. Both indicate that no abortions are performed.
"We already inform our clients in a variety of ways about the services we perform," Clews said.
Pro-choice advocates disagreed, pointing to a January 2008 report commissioned by NARAL Pro-choice Maryland Fund, where staff at pregnancy centers told NARAL investigators that abortions cause an increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and depression. The report does not show with specificity which centers in Maryland gave out that information.
"If a woman is in a crisis and is pregnant she may be making an assumption that she may be able to find all of her options [in a center] but in fact she can't," said Keiren Havens, a Baltimore Planned Parenthood spokeswoman.
Bishop Denis J. Madden of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore said that the bill "serves no useful purpose" and was baffled about why the City Council president would raise the issue.
"With all of the concerns of our city," he said after testifying, "the City Council should choose which battles they are going to fight."
The legislation would affect four centers, two of which are funded by the Roman Catholic Church. The centers provide adoption information and counseling, but do not perform abortions or issue contraceptives.
City Council President Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake introduced the bill at the behest of Planned Parenthood, a pro-choice organization that hopes the Baltimore legislation will serve as a model for a national effort.
"This is a bill about truth in advertising," Rawlings-Blake said. "Crisis pregnancy centers provide good and charitable work. A simple sign insures everyone walking into a center knows what to expect."
But leaders from several pregnancy centers flatly denied that they create any confusion and said the legislation is a form of political harassment because it is so narrowly focused.
Carol Clews, who oversees one center, showed a release form and a statement of care they post in their facility. Both indicate that no abortions are performed.
"We already inform our clients in a variety of ways about the services we perform," Clews said.
Pro-choice advocates disagreed, pointing to a January 2008 report commissioned by NARAL Pro-choice Maryland Fund, where staff at pregnancy centers told NARAL investigators that abortions cause an increased risk of breast cancer, infertility and depression. The report does not show with specificity which centers in Maryland gave out that information.
"If a woman is in a crisis and is pregnant she may be making an assumption that she may be able to find all of her options [in a center] but in fact she can't," said Keiren Havens, a Baltimore Planned Parenthood spokeswoman.
Bishop Denis J. Madden of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore said that the bill "serves no useful purpose" and was baffled about why the City Council president would raise the issue.
"With all of the concerns of our city," he said after testifying, "the City Council should choose which battles they are going to fight."
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Missing in this discussion, and perhaps off the radar of the council, are rights of those that operate the Crisis Pregnancy Centers to freedom of speech, and freedom of association.
The Supreme Court has interpreted these rights to include protection of messages one chooses to communicate and affiliations one choose to make, AND the right to not communicate or affiliate AS WELL.
In other words, by forcing words into the mouths of the CPCs, Baltimore would be violating the Constitution. If Planned Barrenhood and their ilk is concerned that folks are not being told what services CPCs don't offer, perhaps it's time for them to get off their baby-killing butts and stand in front of CPCs to communicate their message, rather than asking the council to rape the Constitution for their benefit.
thetruthserum (11/14/2009, 8:23 AM )