FOR RELEASE: August 20, 2015

Austin City Council to Discuss Settlement Over Anti-Abortion Center Lawsuit

Austin, TX—Thursday the Austin city council will discuss the settlement of attorneys’ fees related to a lawsuit over an overturned consumer protection ordinance that would have required anti-abortion pregnancy centers—commonly referred to as “crisis pregnancy centers”—to post signage stating whether or not they provide medical services. “Crisis pregnancy centers use taxpayer dollars to fund their anti-choice agenda with almost no oversight or transparency,” Heather Busby, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, said. “The ordinance would have protected vulnerable people from unwittingly taking medical advice from unqualified volunteers. These centers fought for the right to continue deceiving the public, which tells you all you need to know about them.” Unlicensed volunteers at crisis pregnancy centers often perform ultrasounds and as NARAL Pro-Choice Texas’ 2014 investigations into crisis pregnancy centers reveal, the centers routinely interfere with visitors’ access to medical care and put their health at risk. For example, they use stall tactics that delay a pregnant person from getting prenatal care or increase the term at which someone has an abortion. One crisis pregnancy center volunteer advised a NARAL Pro-Choice Texas investigator against seeing a doctor, and told the investigator that if she saw a doctor about her pregnancy, she would no longer be able to access the center’s ultrasound services for free. The 2010 Austin city council ordinance would have required that crisis pregnancy centers post a notice stating whether or not a licensed health care professional provides medical services and whether or not they are licensed by state or federal regulatory entities. Many crisis pregnancy centers receive state funding through the Alternatives to Abortion Program. This most recent session, the Texas Legislature nearly doubled the funding for the program to $9.1 million per year. For more information into NARAL Pro-Choice Texas’ investigation into crisis pregnancy centers, visit txpregnancy.org.

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Contact: Zoey Lichtenheld, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, zoey@prochoicetexas.org, o: (512) 462-1661, m: (512) 920-2046